Operation: VOYAGE
by Nobodyman9
Summary: When the Kids Next Door are visited by a strange and mysterious child they must embark on a perilous journey while battling a new evil. Romance in later chapters, 3x4 and 5xOC. All reviews welcome.
1. Return to Devolution

Authors Intro: Well here he is, folks, after a long period of hiatus. Sorry I haven't written any new stories in a while, but I've finally got a new one and, hopefully, a good one. Anyway, this is my first Kids Next Door fic and this will be a pretty long one, long, but good. Not sure how long it will take to finish this story, since I haven't written too many fanfics and what with school coming back so you'll have to bear with me. Good reviews and flames are welcome by all. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: If I owned KND do you think I'd be making a fanfic of it?

**Loading...Kids Next Door, Operation V.O.Y.A.G.E.**

**Very**

**Odd**

**Youth**

**Allows**

**Great**

**Expedition...**

****

****

It was a mild summer day in July. The sky was completely overcast. The scene was very tranquil and it had been a quiet day for most. Nothing could be seen from Father's and the Delightful Children from Down the Lane's mansion; nothing, that is, besides the Kids Next Door Kool Bus, which was rocketing straight for it.

Aboard the Kool Bus were the Sector V Kids Next Door operatives, Numbuh 1, Numbuh 2, Numbuh 3, Numbuh 4 and Numbuh 5. The operatives had been given the special assignment of invading the mansion to put a stop to Father's latest diabolical plan. Sources had indicated that Father was reattempting an old plan of his, which was to turn all Kids Next Door operatives into animals.

Before this mission, the five of them had been enjoying their summer break, mostly hanging around the tree house and sometimes going on missions. Numbuh 1 was the brave, and occasionally workaholically prone, leader he'd always been. Numbuh 2 was always working on new KND 2x4 technology, whenever he wasn't stuffing his face with chilidogs. Numbuh 3 was her usual bubbly girly self and Numbuh 4 maintained his tough guy attitude; the two would have their occasional flirtatious moments, mostly in the forms of arguments. And last, but not least there was Numbuh 5, who always kept it cool and usually just hung around the tree house all day. In short things had been pretty normal.

The mansion's defense grid had been activated to combat the approaching ship. Blasts from the mansion's lasers barraged the approaching ship, luckily though, Numbuh 2, the teams expert pilot, and aerodynamics specialist, was flying the ship, so they managed to maneuver around the oncoming blasts. The Kids Next Door had attempted to battle against the defense grid with their own weapons, which were being controlled by Numbuhs 3, 4, and 5, but it had proved unsuccessful.

At this point the Kids Next Door realized that a conventional entrance into the mansion was impossible, and the Kool Bus was now on a collision course with the mansion.

"Numbuh 5! Estimated time till impact" shouted Numbuh 1.

"T-minus 6 seconds and counting" Numbuh 5 answered.

The tension was at an all time high within the ship; each operative braced his or herself for the oncoming impact. Thoughts ran through each of their minds, thoughts mainly as to what if they were not to make it through the collision. Of course these children were not unaware of this kind of danger. These children's lives, or at least their childhood, were on the line each day, but it was all part of being in the Kids Next Door.

Time virtually stood still as Numbuh 5 counted down the time till the ship collided with the mansion.

"5...

...4...

...3...

...2...

...1!"

The Kool Bus then made impact on the side of the mansion knocking a big hole in it, which left ample room for the team to enter. Each operative exited the now demolished ship unharmed, each equipped with his or her own respective Kids Next Door weapon.

"All right troops move out!" Numbuh ordered his teammates.

The operatives made their way through the many twisting and turning hallways of the mansion. Each of them grew tenser as they ran through the mansion, their hearts racing a mile a minute, as they were about to face their greatest and most powerful enemy. They continued through the mansion, until they finally made it to Father's main chamber. They broke in, their weapons drawn and ready to fire at Father and the Delightful Children.

"Ah Kids Next Door how nice of you to join us" Father welcomed them in his usual eerie accent.

"We wouldn't miss it, Father" Numbuh 1 replied.

"So you thought you could get away with it, huh?" asked Numbuh 2.

"Yeah, ya cruddy adult! You tried this stupid plan before and it didn't work" Numbuh 4 said.

"Ah yes, this I am well aware of, Kids Next Door, but this time it's not just you I am after. You see this time I'm going to transform not only you Kids Next Door, but all the children of the world into FILTHY, FLEA-RIDDEN ANIMALS!" Father informed them.

All the Kids Next Door gasped in shock at Father's new despicable proclamation.

"You see the first time I used this plan I attempted to turn only the Kids Next Door into animals, and I succeeded, but that defiant, impudent Tommy Gilligan ruined my perfect plan by quitting the Kids Next Door!" Father yelled in anger. "But afterwards I rethought this plan and thought, why stop with just the Kids Next Door, why with all children turned into animals no meddlesome child could ever stand in my way again! So for the past few months I have constructed a huge computer database that includes files of every child on Earth, and with this information my machine will be able to transform all children, excluding only my Delightful Children, into ANIMALS!" Father yelled announcing his full plan.

"You're sick, Father, turning innocent children into animals, but no matter we'll destroy that thing before you even have a chance to use it" Numbuh 1 said. "All right, Kids Next Door, lock-on!" Numbuh 1 ordered, and with that each operative directed his or her weapon at the orb.

"Not this time, Kids Next Door!" and with that Father fired five fireballs at each of the Kids Next Doors weapons, completely vaporizing them.

The Kids Next Door only stood in shock, partly because it was so sudden and partly because they were now in realization that they were completely defenseless, as Father laughed maniacally.

"Uh, so uh, what now Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 2 asked.

"Don't worry Numbuh 2 the Kids Next Door always have a Plan B" Numbuh 1 declared bravely. "Run for it!" Numbuh 1 yelled, and the Kids Next Door all ran for the nearest exit.

"I don't think so" Father said, pushing a button, which then activated a series of iron gates which blocked off all exits from the room, making escape impossible.

The Kids Next Door were now extremely flustered, they were now trapped inside a room with their greatest enemies and were about to be turned into animals along with every other child in the world and there was nothing they could do about it.

"Now Kids Next Door, get ready to DEVOLVE!" and with that Father activated the orb, which produced a never-ending sphere of yellow light that stretched out continuously.

"Uh Numbuh 1, does the Kids Next Door by any chance have a Plan C?" asked Numbuh 5.

"Why yes Numbuh 5, as a matter of fact we do," Numbuh 1 answered.

Numbuh 1 then proceeded to scream and run around in circles and the other Kids Next Door operatives, in a matter of seconds, joined him in doing the same. And only seconds later, the sphere of light reached each of them simultaneously and transformed them all into animals, Numbuh 5 to an antelope, Numbuh 4 to a koala, Numbuh 3 to a crane, Numbuh 2 to a hippo, and Numbuh 1 to a seal.

"Hah, yes I have once again, vanquished those pathetic Sector V Kids Next Door!" Father yelled in victory.

"Congratulations Father" The Delightful Children said in their even more eerie sounding voices.

With Father's defeat of the Sector V Kids Next Door, the scene darkened and the overcast sky now began to pour down rain, as Father continued laughing triumphantly. Things didn't look good for the Kids Next Door or all the children of the world for that matter.

"Ah yes, but we must not celebrate yet, my delightful children, for the machine needs a few more minutes of charging before it can run at its full capacity" Father informed them and then commenced to turn the machine off. "But once it is fully charged it will get rid of every child on this planet and then no one shall stand in my way again, NO ONE!" Father yelled.

Just then the Delightful Children noticed a figure come from over the hill, in the pouring rain, that began to approach the mansion on foot.

"Father, it appears that we have an unexpected guest," The Delightful Children informed him.

"What? Well let me just see here" Father replied as he made his way to the window.

The mysterious figure was still there, not yet recognizable, and only continued to walk closer to Father's and the Delightful Children's mansion as the rain continued to fall.

Authors Notes: That's it for the first chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. Sorry if it seems a little slow and/or dull, but it will get better, really. Next chapter I will introduce a new character and he's a bit odd to say the least. Well that's all till next time, see ya!


	2. Singing in the Rain

Authors Into: Here's chapter two everyone, again all reviews, including flames, are welcome. This chapter I introduce a new character and he gets to sing a song you may be familiar with. I hope you like him. Well on with the story. Thanks for the reviews.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

From the mansion Father and the Delightful children could still see the mysterious figure approach, and soon enough it came close enough as to where the figure could be made out. Although still a distance away from the mansion, Father could finally see the figure and saw that it was a child. The child was a white skinned boy, at least ten years of age and was rather tall. The boy was skinny, he wore glasses and oddly enough he was wearing a miniature blue zoot suit and a matching hat. He was also holding an umbrella, but, even more oddly enough, he wasn't using it, even in the pouring down rain, but rather twirling it around on his right index finger from the handle. He also had his head down, and appeared to have a bounce in his step as he walked.

"Hmm, well my Delightful Children, it appears to be another child" Father stated.

"Another child?" asked the Delightful Children, who then looked out the window to see the approaching youth, and notably his strange clothing. "...What kind of kid would wear stupid looking clothes like that?" They wondered.

"Hmm, it doesn't matter my children, I'll simply use the machine and transform him into an animal as well" Father declared.

The Sector V Kids Next Door were still present in the room, all turned into animals and powerless to do anything to stop Father. They did however overhear the conversation between Father and the Delightful Children and couldn't help, but wonder, in their minds, who this mysterious child might be.

"Excellent idea Father" the Delightful Children agreed.

"Yes, the machine is not fully charged yet, but I believe it has enough power to give an effective demonstration, on this hapless juvenile" Father said, and with that turned on the orb which once again emitted a yellow sphere of light that began to stretch out continuously. "Ah yes, come my children and why don't we see what animal this naïve fool will turn into" Father said, approaching the window along with the Delightful Children.

The light continued to stretch out even beyond the mansion and onto the vast landscape where the mystery child treaded. The anxiety was building up inside Father and the Delightful's as the light grew ever closer to the child, and yet he only continued to walk forward not deviating from his present course. It was as if the child didn't even know that the light was there, which made it oh so more delicious for Father and the Delightful Children; this fool didn't even know what was in store for him, which pleased them even more.

The light stretched on and on and the child kept walking and in just a matter of seconds the light reached him and...

...it had no effect on him whatsoever.

"What???" Father and the Delightful Children said in unison.

Yes strangely enough the light hit the child, but did not affect him at all and the child continued to walk and twirl his umbrella around, even inside the great dome of light that should have turned him into an animal.

"What's going on here?" Father queried. "Why hasn't that child turned into an inferior, unevolved, QUADRUPED??!!" Father yelled, as he erupted in flames.

"Um, we don't know Father" the Delightful Children responded in fear.

The Kids Next Door overheard this as well and were now very curious as to who this kid was and why he hadn't become an animal like they had. Perhaps this child could help them, but all they knew for sure was that they wanted to know who this mystery kid was.

"Who is that child anyway? I've never seen him before, but how can he have gone past my light sphere COMPLETELY UNAFFECTED!!!" Father asked himself staring at the approaching child.

"Um we don't know Fath..." the Delightful said again this time being cut off.

"SILENCE!!!" Father yelled at his children, still engulfed in flames. The Delightful Children only quivered in fear. "...Well, it matters not, if this machine isn't going to do the trick..." Father said after cooling down a bit, and then promptly turning off the machine. "...Then I guess I'll have to take care of him myself," Father said. "Just take care of these animals while I'm gone, children" Father said, referring to the newly transformed Kids Next Door. "Hmmph, mangy fleabags" Father mumbled as he passed them.

Father then proceeded on his way outside to deal with the advancing child. On the way Father contemplated in his mind as to who this child might be. Why didn't the ray affect him, why was he dressed the way he was, and, most importantly, why was he here? All these questions boggled through Father's mind as he walked through the mansion even as he passed the huge hole in his wall that was made by the crashed Kool Bus.

Father finally made it outside, it was still raining and the child was still walking closer. As the rain fell, it evaporated from Father's body heat before it even reached him. As Father walked toward the child, who was still a distance from the mansion, he could gradually hear a strange sound, getting slightly louder as he walked towards the child and the child towards him.

To Father it sounded like humming, like the humming of a song maybe, and not only that, but he also heard what seemed to be instrumental music. But as he got closer he realized it was not humming, but rather small audible beats that came from the mouth, and the music only continued to grow louder. As he got even closer he realized it was the child who was making these noises.

The sound now clearer, Father could hear that the child was merely repeating the same word over and over '_do do do do do do, do do do do do do, do do do do do do_', but he repeated it in a rhythm, which went along with the music that was being played.

Even as the two drew nearer, the child didn't even seem to notice Father; it was as if the child was off in his own little world, just repeating that same melody. Finally the two were only about 20 feet apart, and that was when Father stopped. The child still walked, but began to gradually slow down until he stopped as well, both standing in the pouring rain, the child still with his head down, and then strangely enough the child lifted its head, and began to sing.

_I'm singing in the rain _

_Just singing in the rain_

_What a glorious feeling_

_I'm happy again..._

Yes the child was singing, Singing in the Rain, and not just singing, but singing it almost perfectly; he sang in such a way that he almost sounded exactly like Gene Kelly himself. As the child sang he also danced a little bit, not much just some simple dance steps that went along with the music. With his head raised up, it could also be seen that the child had blue eyes and appeared to have blonde hair from under the hat he was wearing.

This bewildered Father, here he was standing across from the child, who proved to be immune from his animal ray, and he was dancing and singing nearly perfectly to music that seemed to come from nowhere, and the child didn't even notice him. Father finally decided to put an end to the child's singing and get some answers from him.

"EXCUSE ME!!" Father yelled at the boy.

Father now had the child's attention and he immediately stop singing and dancing and made an odd stare at Father. After a few seconds he then reached into his shirt and pulled out an audio cassette player, which was playing the music that father had heard.

'_Well that explains where the music came from_' Father thought to himself.

The child then pressed a button on the cassette player, which shut off the music, and he then promptly placed it back in his shirt.

"Yes, what can I do for you sir?" The child asked.

A slight feeling of relief fell over Father, not only did this child finally acknowledge him, but he even called him sir; perhaps getting answers from the child would be easier than he thought.

"Ah yes, young man, I was wondering if..." Father began to say, but was almost immediately interrupted.

"You know sir, I was singing, it is rather rude to interrupt someone when they're singing" the boy said.

"What?" Father was now perplexed, he couldn't tell if the boy was being defiant or maybe if the boy didn't hear him or what. "All right, look here boy I want to know what you're doing here and why haven't you become an animal?" Father asked.

"Well quite frankly sir, why shouldn't I?" The child replied.

"Well because...wait...what?" Father said now even more confused, the child's response made no sense, which baffled and angered him even more. "ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT!!! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR RIDICULOUS KIDDY GAMES, I WANT TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE, WHY YOU'RE HERE AND WHAT'S GOING ON!!!" Father yelled with fire erupting around him.

The child seemed completely unphased by this and only continued to give a slight stare at the combusting Father, and then glanced at the sky.

"It's a nice day isn't it" the child said.

"ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT, I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, I'LL JUST GET RID OF YOU RIGHT NOW!!!" Father yelled, finally losing it, and then launched a stream of fire at the child. The fire completely covered the child, and it seemed as though he had been completely vaporized. "SO THERE!" Father yelled in his assumed triumph. "Wait...huh?" Father muttered as the smoke from the fire began to clear.

Once the smoke had finally cleared, the child reappeared, without so much as a scratch on him. He was holding up his umbrella now opened and pointed towards Father; the umbrella had protected the child from the flames.

"Did you feel a gust sir, I thought I felt a gust...hmm must be my imagination," the child said almost mockingly, but mostly sincerely.

Father was completely enraged by this, not only did his attack not harm the boy, but it also seemed that he hadn't even felt it.

"THAT'S IT!! I'VE HAD IT!!!" Father screamed and made a full charge at the boy.

The child then held out his umbrella, still open, and twirled it around by spinning the handle. The umbrella top then ejected several small blue pellets that shot towards Father as he charged towards him. The pellets made contact to Father and almost instantly Father's charge ceased and he was on the ground curled in pain.

"AH...AH...SO COLD...IT STINGS!!!" Father screamed as he lay on the ground. Father continued to scream for a few more seconds, but the yelling was soon silenced as Father fainted from the pain.

Back inside the mansion, the Delightful Children could see everything that occurred as they watched Father and the mysterious child. They were now in utter disbelief that the child had indeed defeated Father; they weren't sure what to do.

"Unbelievable! How could that insolent brat have defeated Father!?" The Delightful Children asked themselves.

This immediately caught the Kids Next Doors attention. Not only had this kid gotten through the light sphere unchanged, but now he had defeated Father, their greatest enemy. The Kids Next Door were now more eager then ever to meet this new child.

"What shall we do?" The Delightful Children asked themselves. "We can not allow this child to get away with such treachery," they said. They thought for a few seconds and finally got an idea. "Perhaps we should pay this child a little visit ourselves," the Delightful Children decided. The Delightful Children proceeded outside to meet the child, just like Father had done before, leaving the Kids Next Door by themselves.

The Delightful Children exited the mansion; it was still raining outside. They began to walk where the battle between Father and the child had taken place to deal with the child themselves.

Outside the mystery child, had withdrawn his umbrella and held it to his side. Father lay still unconscious, right in front of him, which didn't seem to bother the child in the least.

"Now where was I," the child said to himself. "...Ah yes" the child said, and then pulled out the same audio cassette player he had before.

He then pressed a button, which made the music start to play again, leaving where it had left off, and surely enough he began to sing and dance again to the same song.

..._I'm laughing at clouds_

_So dark up above_

_The sun's in my heart_

_And I'm ready for love..._

Unfortunately the child's singing didn't last long as he was once again interrupted as the Delightful Children approached and attempted to talk to him.

"Hey you!" The Delightful Children yelled at him.

The boy once again stopped singing and dancing and reached in his shirt, took out his cassette player, turned it off, and placed it back in his shirt.

"My, my, that's twice I've been interrupted from my song today" the boy said.

"What?" the Delightful's asked a little confused, but then shrugged it off. "Look, who are you and what have you done to Father?" the Delightful Children asked.

"Did I offend somebody or something, because this usually doesn't happen" The child said, ignoring their question and just continuing from what he had said.

"What...look don't you ignore us, we want to know what you're doing here!" They yelled.

"Is my singing off, is that it, should I rework my vocals maybe?" the boy said once again ignoring them.

"All right, that's it, if you won't answer to us, then I guess we'll have to take other methods!!" The Delightful Children yelled. And with that a gigantic mechanical robot emerged from the ground, the Delightful's landing inside it, completely emerged, the robot stood as high as the mansion. "Lets see if you'll answer to this!" the Delightful Children yelled.

The boy merely let out a small sigh and once again took his umbrella and this time hit a switch on the handle and from the tip of the umbrella shot out a small mechanical device, which landed and latched onto the Delightful Children's robot.

Inside the robot the Delightful's were about to make their first attack on the child. "Lets see, why don't we try out the Super Ultra Destruction Beam" they said to themselves. The blonde boy of the Delightful Children then reached for the lever, which would activate it, but as soon as he touched it his hand burned. "Ouch!" the Delightful's yelled. "What's going on, why have the controls..." the Delightful's began to say, but they stopped mid-sentence as they noticed the entire room was heating up. "Ouch...Hot...Hot...Hot!" The Delightful's yelled as the entire room turned red and the air turned wavy.

Soon the controls began to blow up and fall apart and it wasn't long before the room and the entire robot did the same. The robot blew apart and collapsed completely, the Delightful's landed on the ground unconscious, with pieces of their robot strewn about the area. The child just stood there not moving from his spot at any point.

"You know, I don't think I offended you I think it may just be that you're evil" the boy concluded finishing up what he had said earlier and promptly placing the umbrella to his side. "Oh and everything you asked: That's all on a need to know basis" the boy said to the Delightful's unconscious bodies. "All right, now maybe I can finish my song" the boy said to himself. He began to sing "Let the..." but he stopped as he lost control of his voice and hit a wrong note. "...Oops, oh dear...all right, just recite: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do...Do Ti La So Fa Mi Re Do...yeah that's it, got it" The child said reciting his notes successfully, and then again reached in his shirt took out the cassette player, turned it on, placed it back in his shirt and began to sing and dance.

..._Let the stormy clouds chase_

_  
Everyone from the place_

_Come on with the rain_

_I've a smile on my face_

_I walk down the lane _

_With a happy refrain_

_I'm singing _

_Just singing in the rain_

The child then went into a series of long elaborate and exotic dance moves that matched that of the music. He danced for about a minute or two, still in the pouring rain, right in front of the unconscious Father and Delightful Children. He finally stopped dancing and finished up his song.

_I'm singing, and dancing _

_In the rain_

The boy had finally managed to complete his song without interruption and with that he took out his cassette player, turned off, put it back, and just stood in the rain taking a minute to recollect himself.

"Now the reason I came here" the boy said to himself trying to remember. "...Oh, yes" the child said, remembering after a short pause. And, having remembering, he went on his way to the mansion, walking past the still unconscious Father and Delightful Children, and the rain began to stop.

Authors Notes: Well what did ya think? Review and let me know. If you liked the song, rest assure this new character has plenty more songs on the way, which include some of my favorites (check out my bio). Yes my character is a bit strange, but give him a chance, he may grow on ya. Oh just to let you know, Father will not be the main villain in this story as you may or may not have guessed. In the next chapter the Kids Next Door get to meet this strange newcomer, but that will be all for now, see ya next time.


	3. Introductions, sort of

Authors Intro: Hello again, everyone. Sorry I haven't updated recently, but I've been working on this chapter and it's a long one. This time around I'd like to take the time to reply to some of my reviews.

J (silence) Quill: Thank you for both of your reviews, I'm honored to be reviewed by such a great...well...reviewer, such as yourself, and I'm glad you took the time to check out my bio. I'm glad you like my character; I hope he attracts more readers. As for your question about Dancing Queen, well you'll just have to wait see what happens (see if I even use it). But anyway, again you're an excellent reviewer, and I thank you very much for the reviews.

RadioHeadFan: Thanks for the positive review I really appreciate it. Unfortunately you won't really see any action in this chapter, but fret not; there is more to come.

Well other than that, my character will sing another song this chapter, and as I mentioned before the Kids Next Door get to meet this mysterious child, and we see a lot more of his strange side. So on with the story.

Disclaimer: See chapter 2...or 1.

The strange child continued to walk on his way to the mansion, taking his time as he went, again twirling his umbrella and bouncing in his step. He whistled a random tune as he walked along his merry way, when he finally reached the mansion.

The boy made his way through the mansion, passing through all the staircases and winding hallways. He kept walking, still whistling the tune, and keeping his cheery disposition; he was in no rush. He continued to walk, and finally, after several minutes he reached the room where the Kids Next Door were being held.

As he entered he beheld the transformed Kids Next Door who were all scattered about the room; he still made no change in his cheerful expression. The fact that he was in a room full of animals didn't seem to bother him in the least, it was almost as if he expected them to be there.

Upon his entrance the Kids Next Door all gave a surprised glance at him. They weren't sure who he was, in their minds they were wondering if this might be mystery child that defeated Father. They hadn't actually seen what he looked like; only Father and the Delightful's had seen him. The Delightful Children hadn't come back though, perhaps this was the kid, and perhaps he had beaten them as well, but they knew one thing, they hoped he was friendly.

"Ah, the famous Sector V Kids Next Door" the boy said to himself. "Nice to finally see them" he continued.

Just then the transformed Numbuh 3 jumped out of nowhere and, out of animal instinct, squawked at the mysterious child, only inches from him. Surprisingly enough, this actually caught the child off guard for a second and caused him to jerk ever so slightly. However, he soon realized what it was, and he then regained his composure, and let out a small, satisfied sigh.

"Hmm, Numbuh 3, always the excitable one" he said.

He then lifted his right hand towards Numbuh 3, and with that took his index finger and began to stoke it along her chin. This pleased Numbuh 3 as she cooed with relief and quilled her feathers as he continued to stroke. Upon seeing this, Numbuh 4, in his koala form, gave a jealous grunt towards the boy, not so the child would notice though.

The child then retracted his hand and let out another pleasant sigh. He then walked forward a few steps, taking a look at each of the newly changed Kids Next Door. He then stopped and pondered something for a few seconds, looking at each of the transformed Kids Next Door as he thought. He then spoke out upon finishing what he was thinking about.

"Ah, you know, this opportunity is too good to pass up" he said to himself.

The boy then reached into his shirt, and surely enough pulled out his cassette player, and this time ejected the cassette that was in there and replaced it with a different one, and then pressed play. A new music started to play, the boy placed the cassette player back in his shirt and he began to sing a new song.

_If we could talk to the animals, just imagine it _

_Chatting to a chimp in chimpanzee_

_Imagine talking to a tiger, chatting to a cheetah_

_What a neat achievement that would be_

_If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages_

_Maybe take an animal degree_

_We'd study elephant and eagle, buffalo and beagle,_

_Alligator, guinea pig, and flea_

_We would converse in polar bear and python,_

_And we could curse in fluent kangaroo_

_If people asked us, can you speak in rhinoceros,_

_We'd say, "Of courserous, can't you?"_

_If we could talk to the animals, learn their languages_

_Think of all the things we could discuss_

_If we could walk with the animals, talk with the animals,_

_Grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals,_

_And they could squeak and squawk and speak and talk to us_

As the boy sang, he did small dance steps about the room throughout the whole song until it was finished. The boy shut off his cassette player, and placed it back in his shirt. He had a great look of contentment on his face. He gave one more look around the room looking at each of the Kids Next Door.

"Ah...well, now for business" he said.

He then walked over to the orb, which had emitted the light that turned the Kids Next Door into animals. And then, upon reaching it, the boy, oddly enough, started to do tricks with the orb. Among the tricks he did included, twirling it on his finger and rolling it along his arms like a basketball, bouncing it off various parts of his body, like his elbows, legs, chest and head, and even balancing it on his nose.

Needless to say, the Kids Next Door were shocked by what the child was doing. They had already witnessed him go into a big musical number (which he had sung rather well actually) and this confused them even more. Why was he doing this? Does he even know what that is? How could this be the person that defeated Father and the Delightful's? All these questions boggled through their minds, but all in all they really couldn't do anything, so they ultimately just waited it out.

After about a minute, the boy stopped doing tricks and then tossed to orb high in the air. The boy then took out his umbrella, and, after hitting a switch on the handle, the umbrella top turned into a blade. As the orb made its descent back down by gravity's pull, the boy swiftly swiped his umbrella across the orb, splitting it in two.

This triggered an effect that shot a flash of light out from what was left of the orb, which covered the entire room, and, surely enough, caused the Kids Next Door to turn back into there human selves.

The Kids Next Door all muttered incomprehensibly, as they got up after being turned back into humans. They stumbled around a bit trying to pull themselves together and quickly regained their footing.

"Uh...what happened?" Numbuh 5 moaned.

"Uh...not sure Numbuh 5" Numbuh 1 replied. "But it looks like we're kids again, so that's good" Numbuh said reassuringly.

"Yeah...but what's going on, and who's that..." Numbuh 4 began to say, more energetically, before being cut off.

"Greetings Kids Next Door" the child said, welcoming them. The Kids Next Door all gave a surprised gasp upon seeing him. "Glad to see you're all well" he said.

"...You" Numbuh 1 simply said, still in a bit of shock. There was a brief pause between everyone in the room.

"So...I guess you saved us...right?" Numbuh 5 asked.

"Mm hmm...yep I suppose I did" the boy replied.

"Well...um...thanks" Numbuh 1 said still unsure what to make of what had happened.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks all around, well I don't know about the rest of you, but I got about a bazillion questions I'd like to ask to this weirdo, and furthermore..." Numbuh 4 started to rant before being interrupted.

"Whoa, whoa it's all right Numbuh 4, settle down" the boy said, trying to calm him down.

"Settle down? Look here you owe us some answers, and I think..." Numbuh 4 said again before being interrupted again, this time by Numbuh 1.

"Numbuh 4 please, calm down, we'll get our answers" Numbuh 1 assured him. "Actually, I would like to ask you a few questions myself" Numbuh 1 said turning his attention to the child.

"Yes, yes I'm sure you all do, but first maybe we should sit down" the boy suggested.

"Uh...yes, of course" Numbuh 1 replied.

With that the Kids Next Door and the boy all found their own places to sit down within the room. Numbuh's 1 and 5 and the child sat down in antiquely red chairs, Numbuh's 2 and 3, not having anywhere else to sit, sat on the floor, and Numbuh 4 just stood up against Numbuh 5's chair.

"Aren't you going to sit down Numbuh 4?" the boy asked.

"I'm fine standing, thank you," Numbuh 4 answered.

"You don't really trust me do you?" The boy said, still keeping his cheerful voice.

"Why should I?" Numbuh 4 replied.

"Numbuh 4, this guy saved us" Numbuh 3 butted in.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean..." Numbuh 4 said before being interrupted.

"No, no, it's okay Numbuh 3, I see his point, a rather wise policy to have actually...but, uh, squabbles aside, maybe the best way to get started would be to introduce ourselves" the boy suggested.

"Oh yes, good idea, of course" Numbuh 1 concurred. "So, uh, what's your name?" asked Numbuh 1.

"Numbuh 1, don't ask questions you aren't prepared the answer for" the boy replied.

All of the Kids Next Door were a bit surprised upon hearing his response. "What? All I did was ask you your name, and you're the one who said..." Numbuh 1 began to say before being cut off.

"Look, Numbuh 1, it's very simple, it's not a matter of if I could tell, but if I should tell you" the boy quaintly replied.

"What? But you're not making any..." Numbuh began to say again before once again being interrupted.

"All right, look, maybe we should just move along and have you guys introduce yourselves," the boy suggested.

"Fine, whatever, if it will move things along I guess we can" Numbuh 1 said in a sort of disappointed tone of voice. Being the leader, Numbuh 1 took it upon himself to make the introduction. "Well, we are the Sector V division of the Kids Next Door. I am Numbuh 1, first in command and leader of the team. Over there is Numbuh 2 aerodynamics and 2x4 technology specialist. Next is Numbuh 3 diversionary..." Numbuh 1 said before he noticed the boy doing something, which caused him to trail off ceasing the introduction.

As Numbuh 1 was introducing the team, the boy seemed to listen intently for a couple seconds, but then reached into his shirt and pulled something out of it; it was a slinky. He began playing with it, shifting it around with his hands among various other tricks.

"Uh...excuse me what are you doing" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Oh, sorry, just playing with my slinky. It's a great toy. Ever heard of it? I hope you have, if not you don't know what you're missing. Personally I think it's the greatest toy ever invented, I never get tired of playing with it. I like to use it whenever I can, and, well, if you were going to inform me of details I'm already aware of, I figured this was a good time to" the boy explained.

"What? You asked us to introduce ourselves!" Numbuh 1 yelled, rather upset at this point. The rest of the team was also, more or less, a little irritated.

"Well of course I did, it's completely customary to do so," the boy explained, this only bewildered the Kids Next Door even more. "Look, let me say something here, it doesn't matter what we all do or don't know, what matters is that we have questions that need answering, and we aren't going to get anything accomplished by telling each other things that we're already aware of" the boy explained.

"Wha...but....it...you....they.." Numbuh 1 muttered utterly confused by everything that was going on.

"Look, lets just forget about introductions for now, and lets get some of our questions answered" the child suggested, as he placed the slinky back in his shirt. "All right now, questions that I have for you guys..." the boy began to say, but then went into thought for a moment. "...none" the boy said after a brief pause. "All right, so what would you guys like to ask me?" the boy queried.

"Uhh, I'm not sure let me just think a minute" Numbuh 1 said, perplexed by the boys adverse logic.

"I got a question" Numbuh 2 spoke out.

"Shoot" the boy replied.

"So uh, you're the one who defeated Father and, I'm hoping, the Delightful's, right?" Numbuh 2 asked.

"Uh, yep, I guess I did" the boy answered. Numbuh's 2, 3 and 5 all gave a pleased gasp upon hearing this.

"Wow, cool" Numbuh 3 said.

"How'd you do it?" Numbuh 2 asked.

"How? Oh I haven't the faintest" the boy replied. "All I know is that the subzero ice pellets, that launched from my umbrellas spine, were able to subdue Father, and the combustion bomb, launched from the umbrellas top, did likewise to the Delightful Children and their robot, of course I have no clue how they work," he explained. "I hope that answers your question, Numbuh 2," the boy said.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so" Numbuh 2 said, a bit confused.

"Yeah, can you believe it, I have technology beyond my comprehension, isn't that something" the child said somewhat jokingly. "Yep, not only is my umbrella for show it's completely functional" the boy stated. "Oh, and I wouldn't worry about Father and the Delightful Children, they got beat up pretty band, they'll be out for a few hours, but they'll be ok" he further explained.

"Whoever said we wanted them to be ok" Numbuh 4 retorted. This made the child give a small laugh

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, you always were a funny one Numbuh 4" the boy said.

"How do you know?" Numbuh 4 asked.

"I don't, I guessed" the boy replied and then gave another slight laugh.

"All right, I've had it with this mystery boy stuff!" Numbuh 4 yelled now reaching his limit. "I want to know how you know who we are, why you won't tell us who you are, and why are you wearing those stupid clothes anyway!" Numbuh 4 yelled. There was a brief pause.

"So does anyone else have a question for me?" the boy asked completely ignoring Numbuh 4.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me? Don't you ignore me!" Numbuh 4 yelled completely infuriated.

"Numbuh 4, I don't listen to people who talk like idiots" the boy replied.

"What!? What's that supposed to mean!?" Numbuh 4 screamed.

"I like your outfit" Numbuh 3 complemented the boy.

"Well thank you Numbuh 3, I try to stay fashionable" the child replied.

"Hey, wait a second, you just answered to her, and that's gotta be the stupidest I've heard come out of anyone's mouth all day!" Numbuh 4 yelled.

"Hey!" Numbuh 3 said taking offense to Numbuh 4's remark.

"It's all right Numbuh 3, he just doesn't understand the difference between knowledge and wisdom yet, don't worry he will some day" the child said reassuringly.

"Ah, forget it, I don't even know why I bother with this guy in the first place" Numbuh 4 said angrily, stomping back to his post leaning against Numbuh 5's chair. There was another silent pause.

"So, anymore questions?" the boy asked.

"I'm not sure anymore" Numbuh 1 answered, having a slight headache from the stressful situation. "Well, is that it? The only reason you came here was to save us?" Numbuh 1 asked in a subdued tone of voice.

"Yes" the boy promptly, replied.

The Kids Next Door all felt a slight feel of relief. Right now, to them, it didn't matter how much they knew about the guy as long as his purpose was clear, and they didn't have to deal with him anymore.

"...Wait, no," the boy said after a quick pause. The Kids Next Door then reassumed their somewhat stressful moods upon hearing this. "Yes, there was something else I was supposed to tell you...yes" the boy further explained, and then going into silent contemplation.

"Well, what is it?" Numbuh 1 asked, growing impatient.

"Yes, yes wait, just give me a minute, give me a chance to get myself together now," the boy said still thinking. "Yes, now what was it...oh come on, it's there...what was it" the boy droned on.

As the boy thought, all of a sudden an egg inexplicably appeared in his right hand, as if from out of nowhere. As he continued to think and mumble incoherently, he moved the egg around in his hand shifting it around, turning it over and rubbing it with his fingers. The Kids Next Door took notice to this and were, needless to say, a little surprised by this. Quite frankly, they weren't sure to pay more attention to the egg he moved about in his hand or his constant muttering. After a couple of seconds the boy covered the entire egg with his hand, putting it out of sight.

"Ah yes! I got it. I remember" The boy spoke out and with that a baby chick emerged from his right hand where he had previously held the egg.

These events shocked the Kids Next Door even more. They didn't know whether to be more surprised about the boy's outburst or the chick that had now taken the place of the egg.

Finally Numbuh 1 spoke up. "Uh...okay what is it, what did you want to tell us?" Numbuh 1 asked the boy.

"Oh yes, that, of course, yes" the boy said. "All right, the reason I've come here is to warn you. Yes, to uh, warn you of a child-eating monster of sorts, yes," the boy explained, the baby chick still in his hand, and never loosing his calm and cool exterior.

All the Kids Next Door gasped upon hearing this. "A child-eating monster?" Numbuh 1 said aloud in shock.

"A what?" The boy asked.

"A child-eating monster, like you said" Numbuh 1 explained.

"I never said that" the boy replied.

"What are you talking about? Of course you did" Numbuh 1 explained.

"Well I don't remember. Can you prove I said it?" the boy asked.

"What!? We all just heard you say it!" Numbuh 1 yelled.

"Look, Numbuh 1, think about it, who do you think I'm going to believe, a bunch of kids who I met, not just ten minutes ago, or my own calm, collected, sensible, self?" The boy asked.

"But we just heard you say..." Numbuh 1 argued in a weak voice, before being cut off.

"All right, settle down, look, it doesn't matter, what's important is that you guys are all probably crazy" the boy explained.

"What? That just doesn't...you don't..." Numbuh 1 said trailing off.

"Ah forget about it Numbuh 1" the boy said trying to assure him. "Well like I said I don't know anything about it, but, uh, if I were looking for a child-eating monster, as you put it, I would start looking in the Miasma Jungle," the boy advised, the chick still in his hand.

"Really?" Numbuh 1 asked in an inquisitive tone of voice.

"Yep" the boy quaintly responded. "Well I guess I'll be on my way now" the boy said.

"Wait, you're going?" Numbuh 2 asked.

"Yeah, gotta go, you know, I have places to go, people to see, and so do you" the boy informed them. With that the boy walked towards the door to leave, and as he walked he completely covered the chick in his hand, blocking it from view. "Oh, and before I go, I'd like to say this. In response to your earlier question, as far as who I am, I will tell you this..." he said after opening the door, and just then he opened his right hand and a full grown chicken flew out onto the floor, flapping its wings and trotting about. "...I am a boy of many talents, and I will see you again" the boy finished.

The Kids Next Door all stared at the chicken that now just stood on the floor, taking a few steps every few seconds or so. They were more enticed by the chicken then what the boy had just said.

"Oh and Kids Next Door, a word of advice..." he said, now having their attention. "...Keep your eyes on the prize" he said.

And having made his closing statement, the boy exited the room closing the door behind him. Numbuh 1 quickly got up and ran towards the door and opened it, just seconds after the boy had closed it, but there was no one on the other side. This shocked all the Kids Next Door; he just seemed to have vanished into thin air.

"Oh there is one more thing I forgot to mention" a voice said, that seemed to come from nowhere, but the Kids Next Door recognized it, it was the child. "Beware of Vlad," the boy said.

"Vlad? Who's Vlad?" Numbuh 2 asked aloud.

"Your worst nightmare" the boy said, now visible as he stuck his head out from the top of the doorframe, but then quickly retracted himself.

Numbuh 1, once again, ran for the door this time sticking his head out into the hallway, but he could not see the child anywhere. He then went back into the room to join his teammates.

"So, uh, what now Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 5 asked.

Numbuh 1 gave out a small sigh. "Come on team, lets go home" Numbuh 1 said. And with that they all got up, gathered what they could, and headed back to the tree house.

Authors Notes: Not much to say this time around, just please review and tell me what you thinks, again flames are welcome. Not to give anything away, but next chapter we get to meet the mysterious Vlad. Other than that, nothing to report really, I'll see you next time.


	4. A New Evil

Authors Intro: Hello again loyal readers. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I'm back in school now, plus this is the first chapter I haven't entirely thought out. Unfortunately, it may be like this for a while (me not updating), but please bear with me, and thank you for your patience. Anyway, I'd like to take this time to reply to some more of my reviews, so here they are...

J (silence) Quill: Thank you again for your continued reviews to my story. I am very glad to hear that you like my story so much. I'm also glad to hear how my original character interests you so much. Your statement, that he reminded you of _Willy Wonka_ from _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ and the chimney sweeps from _Mary Poppins_, intrigued me (I have seen both of those movies). The thing is, one day, while I was thinking about my character (before I saw your review), it actually did come to my mind that he did, in some ways, resemble _Willy Wonka_. Of course this character wasn't really supposed to be based on any other people I knew (fictional or otherwise), and I meant him to be completely original. I actually have a theory on this though, and it is that when people are making original characters they may subconsciously base their character on other people (again, fictional or otherwise) that they may have seen, which incorporates into the characters personality, even if it wasn't intentional. Actually he is based a little bit on myself, as his appearance is similar to myself (read my bio), and his abstract psychology is, in some ways, like mine. As far as the chimney sweeps, I hadn't thought of that, but now that I think about it they do also share some similarities. Again I cannot thank you enough for the reviews, and I am just so thrilled that you like my story, and I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Titan Kit: Yes I know I said there was going to be romance in this story, and rest assured there will be. There just won't be very much in the first couple of chapters. But trust me, when I do the romance part, it will be well worth the wait, there will be 3/4ness and 5/OCness, just please bear with me.

Well I guess that's all I have to say, so on with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own KND or any of the songs used in this story.

Having been given the order by Numbuh 1, the Kids Next Door got ready for their trip back to the tree house. All five of the Kids Next Door made their way through the mansion until they came by the site where their ship had crashed. Upon reaching the ship, the Kids Next Door salvaged whatever they could through all the wreckage and debris. After doing so they made their way home. None of them spoke very much, for they were all thinking about their encounter with the mysterious child.

**2 hours later**

The Kids Next Door were now long gone from the mansion, and were back at the tree house at this point, and Father and the Delightful Children were still out cold from their battle with the mysterious child. They lay completely unconscious, unmoving among the vast, luscious, landscape that surrounded their home. The blow that had been delivered to them was brutal. This had been the scene for the last two hours, until something unexpected happened.

From Father and the Delightful Children's mansion, beyond the rich grassland that bordered it, a figure could be seen in distance over the horizon. However, there was something unusual about this figure, mainly that it was approaching from the sky. Even more unusual was that, as the figure approached closer, it appeared to be a human figure that was positioned upright making it seem as if it were floating.

The figure approached rather quickly, moving at a steady, rather fast, pace of about ten miles per hour. The figure was now very close to the mansion, and only continued to maintain its steady speed. The figure was finally in very close range and then, suddenly, it stopped instantly, even at the speed that it was traveling.

Upon stopping the figure scanned the immediate area and noticed the unconscious Father and Delightful Children. The figure gave an odd glance at them and then murmured inaudibly to itself. However, it quickly turned away from them and, once again, headed towards the mansion. The figure floated towards a window that was on the second story of the building, this particular window belonging to the room where Father had activated his orb that had turned the Kids Next Door into animals.

The figure entered the room, surely enough, through the window. Upon entering the figure gracefully landed itself on the rooms carpeted floor. The figure now walked on foot towards the site where the mystery child had destroyed the orb. The figure glanced at the orb that was now split in two, and gave a slight grunt.

"Hmm, it seems someone has beat me to it" the figure muttered to itself.

The figure suddenly heard a noise that seemed to come from outside the mansion. The figure then slightly turned its head and ascended into the air again. The figure left the mansion through the same window he had come in, to see what had made the noise. The figure maintained a sinister, dark look on its face as it made its way outside.

Once outside, the figure again took notice of Father and the Delightful Children, but this time they were moving a little. It was apparent that they were the ones that had made the noise, for they were now regaining their consciousness. Father and the Delightful Children moaned, as they slowly got up, still weak from their agonizing experience.

"Oooh, my head" the Delightful Children muttered as they struggled to get up.

"Aw, Father and the Delightful Children from Down the Lane, good to see you up and about" the mysterious figure said out loud.

This caught Father's and the Delightful Children's attention and they immediately looked up to where the voice had come from, still groggy and weary though. They saw the mysterious figure hovering in the air above them, but it then quickly began to descend to earth below it. Soon enough, the figure reached the same ground where Father and the Delightful Children still lied.

"What's going on?" Father asked to no one in particular, still with a bit of a moan in his voice.

The figure then began to approach Father and the Delightful's on foot. Neither Father nor the Delightful Children could make out who or what this figure was, as it was completely shrouded and shadows and just appeared to be a silhouette against the bright background.

"Who are you?" Father asked the mysterious figure. There was a brief pause among the group, as the mysterious figure slowly came to a stop.

"Just a friend" the figure darkly responded.

With that, the figure seemed to burst from the shroud of shadows that covered it, stretching out its arms, which held a cape that had previously concealed its body. Upon revealing itself the figure turned out, indeed, to be human. It was a tall, somewhat muscular, Caucasian, male, teenager, of about 17 or 18 years of age. He had spiky black hair, and deep, dark, black eyes. His cape was dark red and he wore dark clothing made up of black, gray, and a dark shade of purple. He wore black boots and gloves and the rest of him was dressed in clothing that one might expect of an ancient warrior or sorcerer. Father and the Delightful Children only stood in awe of the boy's enigmatic presence, as he concealed himself again with his cape.

"And I'd like you to come with me" the boy said. The boy then swiftly swiped his hand across the air in the direction of Father and the Delightful's and with that, they were lifted into the air. Father and the Delightful's gasped in shock at the fact that they were now floating in the air by an unseen force.

"Whoa, wha...what's going on?" the Delightful children asked, a bit nervous at this point.

"I want to know what's going on right..." Father began to say in a more stern tone of voice. But he was soon interrupted as he and the Delightful Children began to move through the air straight towards their mansion, as did the boy with them, however he seemed to be in control.

They moved ever closer towards the mansion, as the boy seemed to lead them through the air. The boy continued to lead them, and it seemed that they were heading towards the top floor of the mansion, to the room where the boy had been before. They were then led into the room through the same window that the boy had also previously entered.

As they came into the room the boy floated down to the floor and then slowly turned around to face Father and the Delightful's. They all had a look of anxiety on their face as the boy looked at them, as they continued to float in the air. Just then, the boy pulled out his hand once again and this time opened it so his palm was flat. He then slowly moved it down, and with that they dropped back down to floor on their feet. They took a moment to regain their footing and then looked back at the boy.

Father and the Delightful Children were utterly confused by all this. The last thing they remembered before all of this was that strange child that had somehow seemed to beat them. They weren't sure how long they had been out, but they were now awake and another new and mysterious person was now dragging them into something else.

"So, Father and the Delightful Children, we finally meet," the boy said eerily. "Please, Father, take a seat" the boy said, and with that he made a motion with his hand, which caused a chair to levitate and move towards Father, bumping into the back of him, and making him plop down into the seat. Needless to say this surprised Father a bit, but he still tried to maintain his stern exterior.

Father was bewildered by all of the events that had happened, which was not a normal situation for him to be in. Being the impatient type that he is, Father wanted answers and he wanted them now, so finally he decided speak out.

"Who are you?" Father asked. "And how do you know who we are?"

The boy chuckled slightly at the question, then answered. "I know quite a bit about you Father, how you continuously battle against the children of the world, how you come up with a all of your ingenious plans, and how you fail each and every time," the boy explained, putting an emphasis on the last part.

Father muttered and glared at the man in anger, for his insult. The boy then walked over the orb that lay on the floor, split in two. He looked at it and soon after Father and the Delightful Children saw it too. Father gasped in horror upon his seeing his destroyed orb.

"My...my orb! It's been destroyed! How could this happen?! How could my perfect plan have failed?!" Father ranted aloud.

"I'll tell you why Father" the boy offered. Father looked at him with a curious inquisitive expression. "Your plan failed because you are weak," the boy explained. Father grew angrier as the man insulted him again. "Actually I would have destroyed the thing myself, but it seemed someone else had already done it for me" the boy further explained.

Father inner rage continued to grow, but then something popped into his mind. 'It must have been that child from before that destroyed the orb' Father thought to himself, but he once again had his attention to the boy as he spoke again.

"Hmm, animals, is that the best you can come up with?" the boy asked. There was no response from Father. "If it were me, I'd turn them all into smoldering piles of ash, and I'd do it the old-fashioned way, if you know what I mean" the boy explained. Father and the Delightful Children were taken aback by what the boy had just said, but stayed silent. "In fact, it will be me" the boy said. Father and the Delightful Children were shocked at the boy's proclamation.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Father asked.

The boy chuckled again at Father's question. "It means that I'm taking over," the boy declared. "You see I'm tired of seeing you fail time and time again in your feeble plots against children, so I think it's time that someone more suitable took control of your little operation, someone like me, and that's just what I'm going to do" the boy explained.

Father gave an enraged glare at the boy, for his treacherous proclamation. The Delightful Children just stood with a nervous look on their faces, while the boy maintained a wicked grin on his face.

"So Father I offer you two choices, you can join me and be my underling and help me in wiping out the kid population, or I'll destroy you as well" the boy explained.

Father was now completely infuriated now, there was no way he was going to let someone punk kid order him around or threaten him. Father then rose from his chair and became completely engulfed in flames as his anger grew.

"THAT'S IT! Look I don't know who you think you are, but nobody orders me around, especially in my own home!" Father yelled. "Do you understand? You think you can do better than me? You're a mere novice compared to me, and I will not be toyed with by some brat! DO YOU HEAR ME!?" Father yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Hmm, fine, if that's your decision then I guess I'll have to get rid of you," the boy proclaimed.

"Not if I get rid of you first!" Father yelled and then sent a wave of fire straight at the boy.

Father continued his onslaught on the boy for a few seconds, until he finally withdrew his fire wave, in his belief that he had defeated the boy. However, as the smoke from the attack cleared, the boy could be seen, completely unharmed. The boy had his hand held up, which was supporting a purple barrier around him, which had deflected the attack and protected him entirely. However, the boy soon retracted his hand, which caused the barrier to dissipate, but he still maintained his firm stance. Father and the Delightful Children were shocked upon seeing this.

"Now, as I was saying, time to get rid of you, Father" the boy said.

The boy then revealed his right hand from behind his cloak, which held a dark orb. He then held it out and directed it towards Father.

"What are you doing?" Father asked. There was no response. The orb began to glow with small energy sparks that surrounded it. "Stop this...right now!" Father yelled, and just then a dark energy beam shot out from the orb. "No...No...AAAAAHHHHH!!!" Father yelled as the beam made contact with him and slowly pulled him towards the small orb.

Father struggled as hard as he could to break free of the beams pull, but to no avail. The beam continued to pull him slowly closer and closer to the orb as Father's energy diminished as he continued to struggle. After a few seconds of Father's useless attempts at resisting the beams pull, he was shrunk down and was completely sucked into the orb.

The Delightful Children couldn't believe their eyes. Their "Father" had just disappeared into a dark orb, by a teenager who seemed to have no problem in vanquishing him. They could only look in horror as they waited to see what would happen next.

After a moment or two, Father could be seen inside of the orb, with a flustered look on his face as he tried to gather what was going on. It didn't take him long realize that, by the fact that he was trapped in a large sphere and that he was now looking up at the mysterious boy, that he was inside the orb.

"What have you done to me? Let me out of here NOW!!" Father yelled as he erupted in flames, inside the orb. The boy merely chuckled at his pitiful request.

"Hmm, I don't think so" the boy responded. "Yes I believe an eternity in a dark void of nothingness is quite adequate enough for you, Father," the boy explained. He then gave his attention to the Delightful Children from Down the Lane. "Now, Delightful Children, I offer you the same choice, you may join me and be my obedient servants, or you will share the same fate as your father. I believe you'll make the smart decision," the boy said, as he still held the orb in his hand, which contained Father.

"Hah, try all you like to persuade them, my young friend, but my Delightful Children are completely loyal to me. They'll never join you" Father informed the boy, as he diverted his attention back to Father.

The boy then quickly paid his attention back to the Delightful Children and asked them again. "Hmm, so what will it be, Delightful Children?"

The Delightful Children didn't know what to do. They had just seen their Father be defeated by this strange boy, and now it was possible they would be trapped along with him. They knew they were supposed to, and wanted to, stay completely loyal to Father, but at the same time they didn't want to be locked in a dark orb like Father was. After some deliberation, they finally came to the only solution they could make.

"Uh...actually, we'd prefer to join you" the Delightful Children said to the mysterious boy.

The boy grinned in delight at the Delightful Children's response, while Father was in complete disarray. "WHAT!!!? You impudent, defiant, little brats! I am your master, YOU WILL OBEY ONLY ME!" Father yelled from inside the orb.

"Quiet Father!" the Delightful Children yelled, at their former master.

Father's eyes went wide with shock upon hearing this. "What!? Why you treacherous, disloyal, worthless little vermin, when I get out of here you are going to be in so much trouble! You hear me, you..." Father yelled, before being cut off as the boy once again retracted his hand and placed the orb inside his cloak fading out Father's ranting.

"Yes, Delightful Children, now I am your master" the boy said, in his eerie tone of voice. "Now, we have much to do."

"Yes...master" the Delightful Children responded. They were now completely loyal to him.

"Yes, for you see, I have a plan, a plan unlike any you have ever seen before" the boy said to them. "A plan that will wipe out the entire kid population, putting an end to the child nuisance forever" the boy finished.

"But master, what about the Kids Next Door?" the Delightful Children asked.

"Ah yes, the Kids Next Door, the only children that may pose a threat to my plan" the boy said. "Well, we'll just have to destroy them, won't we, my children"

"Yes master" the Delightful Children answered.

"Now, lets get my plan underway" the boy declared.

"Yes, but before we do master, if we are to be your servants, perhaps you could tell us your name?" The Delightful Children asked.

There was a brief pause, and then the boy answered. "But of course my Delightful Children, you may call me...Vlad."

Authors Notes: That's all for this chapter. Next chapter is about the Numbuh's 1-5 and their responses to the mysterious child, and what they will do. Other than that, not much, just please keep the reviews comin' (also you can let me know if I make any grammatical errors) and I'll see you next time.


	5. Aftermath

Authors Intro: Hello again, animeniac9 here with chapter five of Operation: Voyage. I'm really, really sorry I haven't updated recently, but I've been distracted by a lot of things, what with school (and I've been taking an advanced course so I'm getting a lot of homework), and hurricane Frances, plus I've been having a bit of writers block so again please bear with me. Anyway, it's time to answer reviews, YAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!! Okay I'll stop now...

J (silence) Quill: Thank you for your compliments on my characters, I'm glad you think I'm doing so well. As far as Vlad goes, his motives and role in the story will be revealed in due time, and don't worry about me answering them to hastily, I've got most of this story pretty much planned out. About the grammatical errors, the reason I posted that at the end of my last chapter was that I had almost made a grammatical mistake when posting my last chapter so after that I just decided to add that at the end. And as far as pointing them out, just if you happen to see if I misspell a word or leave out or add an extra word or something just let me know then, but don't go out of your way and search through every line in the story to find grammatical errors, just if you happen to notice something please let me know.

RadioHeadFan: Yes I have also noticed how my character is similar to the Cheshire cat. In fact my character copies some of his lines word for word (not intentionally of course), like when he explains the child-eating monster and then claims he doesn't know anything about it and then when he says "...if I were looking for a child-eating monster, I'd start looking in the Miasma Jungle," etc. Also thank you for the quotation grammar advice I will remember to use that. Sorry to disappoint you, but unfortunately no Vlad is not a vampire (I think one vampire is enough for the KND). More of his history and his powers will be revealed in later chapters though so stay tuned. (Did what I just say make sense?)

Bubblebean022: Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like my story, and I will of course try to update as soon as possible. Thanks again.

Again thank you all for your reviews I really deeply appreciate them, but enough of my blabber on with the story!

Disclaimer: I own very little, much less the Kids Next Door

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"So the mission was a success Kids Next Door?"

"Affirmative Numbuh 362, we destroyed Father's animal device, and it's not likely we'll have to deal with him or those Delightful's for a while."

This was the conversation that had gone on between Numbuh 1 and Numbuh 362 as the Sector V Kids Next Door filed their report to moon base on the "success" of their recent mission in which they encountered the mysterious child. The Kids Next Door gave the report from within their tree house, which they had returned to just recently, as Numbuh 1 talked to Numbuh 362 on the large screen through telecom link. However, Numbuh 1 had not informed Numbuh 362 of their encounter with the child, which really didn't matter much, as the orb had been destroyed and the Kids Next Door as well as every child on Earth were now safe from Father's diabolical plan.

"Excellent, good work Kids Next Door, you've made the world safer for kids everywhere, of course I would expect no less from the highly ranked Sector V," Numbuh 362 said.

"Thank you Numbuh 362," Numbuh 1 replied.

"Very good, this is moon base, over and out," Numbuh 362 finished, as the screen became static.

The Kids Next Door, having given their report, were now contemplating what to do next. Although they had reported to moon base they hadn't exactly been truthful in telling it, which was an unusual situation for them, of course their mission hadn't been under the most usual of circumstances either. Still though, in the back of their minds, even though Numbuh 362 believed them, they couldn't help but feel some regret for what they had done.

"I don't know Numbuh 1, I still kinda think we shoulda told her about him," Numbuh 5 said.

"Look, Numbuh 5 we all decided unanimously, before filing our report, not to inform moon base about the child," Numbuh 1 replied.

"Yeah, tell me why that is again?" Numbuh 5 asked.

"I'll tell you why..." Numbuh 4 butted in. "...we're not telling her, because there's no reason to. That kid was a complete nuisance to our mission and personally I think it's best we never bring him up again!" Numbuh 4 finished.

"What do ya mean he was a nuisance Numbuh 4? That kid saved us," Numbuh 5 retorted.

"Please, he didn't save us, didn't you see the way he was playing with that animal orb thing, he probably destroyed that thing by accident," Numbuh 4 said.

"I don't know Numbuh 4 he did say he had come there to save us," Numbuh 2 argued.

"Tch, he probably said it just to take credit for it," Numbuh 4 argued back. "Look, I don't see what the big deal is. The point is we did our mission, and so what if we happened to come across some crazy kid, can we just forget about him and get on with our lives?" Numbuh 4 complained.

"Crazy kid huh?" Numbuh 5 replied. "Don't you think there's more to him than that Numbuh 4?" Numbuh 5 asked.

"No," Numbuh 4 bluntly responded.

"Aw c'mon Numbuh 4, that isn't really what you think, is it?" Numbuh 3 asked.

"Oh come on Numbuh 3, don't tell me your siding with Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 5 on this," Numbuh 4 said.

"Well, I don't know, he seemed like a nice guy," Numbuh 3 replied.

"What!? You can't be serious!" Numbuh 4 yelled. Numbuh 3 just stood in silence. "Ah c'mon, what about you Numbuh 1, what do you think?" Numbuh 4 asked.

"Oh, I don't know Numbuh 4, I mean he did know who we were. He knew we were Sector V of the Kids Next Door, maybe he did come to tell us something," Numbuh 1 explained.

"Yeah Numbuh 4, how do you explain that?" Numbuh 2 asked. Numbuh 4 grunted just a little bit under his breath.

"Ah forget it, I can't believe you guys, as far as I'm concerned the guy's a loony," Numbuh 4 complained.

The rest of the team decided to put Numbuh 4's comments aside for the moment. "Well what about that child-eating monster he talked about," Numbuh 5 asked to no one in particular.

"Yeah, he did mention that," Numbuh 2 commented.

"Yes, he did say that's what he came to warn us about, but then, weirdly enough, he denied saying it," Numbuh 1 said.

The Kids Next Door all contemplated on this a bit until Numbuh 4 butted in again. "Again, probably something he made up. I mean come on, a kid-eating monster, that's really weird."

"Hey we just got turned into animals today Numbuh 4, maybe you could give this guy the benefit of the doubt," Numbuh 5 argued. Numbuh 4 just muttered inaudibly.

"Yeah, what did he say, that it was in the Miso Jungle or something?" Numbuh 3 asked.

"No Numbuh 3 it was the Miasma Jungle," Numbuh 2 corrected her.

"Oh, right," Numbuh 3 replied.

"Hmm, but yeah, that's where he told us to start looking," Numbuh 2 remarked. "And what about that Vlad guy he mentioned?" Numbuh 2 added.

"Yeah, he told us to beware of him," Numbuh 5 commented.

"Yes, I wonder who he is. Then again I wonder if he even exists," Numbuh 1 commented.

The Kids Next Door then stood in silent contemplation, aside from Numbuh 4 who had given up trying to convince his teammates to see things his way, but still kept true to his opinion. This went on for a few seconds, until Numbuh 5 spoke out.

"Well guys I guess the real decision we need to make here is, are we going to listen to this guy or not," Numbuh 5 said. "So what's it gonna be Numbuh 1?" She asked. Numbuh 1 was silent for a moment, still thinking about what to do, but then he finally spoke out.

"Well what he's saying could be true, and if it is, then I suppose we should start looking in this Miasma Jungle that he told us about," Numbuh 1 replied. "Of course we have no idea where it is or if it even exists, so I propose we do some research on this first," Numbuh 1 proclaimed.

"What!? Research!? Aw c'mon," Numbuh 4 complained.

"Oh don't worry Numbuh 4, you don't have to do any research, you don't believe this guy, remember?" Numbuh 1 informed him.

"You're darn right I don't," Numbuh 4 assured him.

"All right, Numbuh 5 log onto the Kids Next Door Worldwide Database and see if you can find anything on the Miasma Jungle," Numbuh 1 instructed her.

"I'm on it," Numbuh 5 replied.

"Very good, and Numbuh 3 see if you can find anything on this child-eating monster," Numbuh 1 said.

"Okey dokey," Numbuh 3 answered. Numbuh's 3 and 5 then manned the Kids Next Door computers and began their search.

"Uh Numbuh 1, what about Vlad, shouldn't we try to find some information on him?" Numbuh 2 asked.

"Well unfortunately, Numbuh 2, one name isn't much to go by, so we won't be able to do much with that now," Numbuh 1 explained.

"I honestly don't see why you guys are doin' all this," Numbuh 4 butted in again. "I'm tellin' ya the guy's off his rocker, I mean did you see those clothes he was wearin', he was wearin' a monkey suit."

"No Numbuh 4 he wasn't wearing a monkey suit he was wearing one of those uh...oh uh one of those uh...waddya call em...uh," Numbuh 2 said.

"A zoot suit," Numbuh 5 said finishing Numbuh 2's sentence, from the computer.

"Yeah that's it thanks Numbuh 5," Numbuh 2 replied.

"Well whatever, you go ahead and do your stupid little search, I'll tell ya what you're gonna find. NOTHIN'!! N-A-V-K-D-J-R, Nothin'. Please, "Miasma Jungle," I bet there's no such place as the Miasma Jungle," Numbuh 4 ranted.

"Found it," Numbuh 5 announced.

"What!?" Numbuh 4 yelled.

"Yep, it's right here, the Miasma Jungle, located centrally in the tropical country of Guanonova," Numbuh 5 explained, as Numbuh 4 just gawked in disbelief.

"Good work Numbuh 5," Numbuh 1 said. "How about you Numbuh 3, have you found anything?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Ooooooh, yes I went on the online shopping site and I found a great sale price on Mister Fuzzerwumps and I saw the brand new Lolly Wollywops at half price...oh, oh and..." Numbuh 3 went on until Numbuh 1 interrupted her.

"No, no Numbuh 3 did you find any information on the monster, the child-eating monster!" Numbuh 1 yelled.

"Oh yeah, uh nope nothing on that...but I did see an add for the new sing-along Rainbow Monkey and..." Numbuh 3 explained and then went on again.

"All right, all right, thanks Numbuh 3," Numbuh 1 said. "So located in central Guanonova eh?" Numbuh 1 restated.

"Ah, c'mon just because there is a Miasma Jungle doesn't mean the rest of what the guy said is true, I'm tellin' ya we're all wastin' our time with this!" Numbuh 4 yelled.

"So, what now Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 2 asked, not really paying attention to what Numbuh 4 had said.

Numbuh 1 then stood silent in thought for a few moments. Using his utmost greatest leadership skills, he considered everything that had happened, all the information they obtained, what the boy had said and overall what would be the best course of action to take. Finally he came to a conclusion.

"Numbuh 2, ready the Kids Next Door S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and set a course for the Miasma Jungle," Numbuh 1 ordered. Numbuh's 2, 3, and 5 all grinned in delight upon hearing his command. Numbuh 4 just stared at his teammates unbelievingly.

"Aye, aye cap'n," Numbuh 2 answered, as he made his way to the hangar.

"I don't believe this! You're actually goin'?" Numbuh 4 yelled.

"That's what I said didn't I?" Numbuh 1 asked rhetorically. "But don't worry nobody else has to join me on this mission if they don't want to," Numbuh 1 informed them. "So do I have any volunteers?"

"Well, Numbuh 5's goin'" Numbuh 5 said.

"Ooh, ooh, I wanna go too," Numbuh 3 said cheerfully.

"Excellent, Numbuh 4 are you going?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"What do you think? I told you I don't want anythin' to do with this, I'm stayin' right here!" Numbuh 4 proclaimed.

"Very well, Numbuh 3, Numbuh 5 come with me," Numbuh 1 ordered and with that they made their way to the hangar. It wasn't long, however, before the ever-persistent Numbuh 4 followed them.

"Hey wait, wait get back here," Numbuh 4 yelled as he chased after them.

"What is it Numbuh 4?" Numbuh 1 asked slightly annoyed, as they continued to walk.

"Hang on, you can't just go on this mission," Numbuh 4 complained.

"We can't?" Numbuh 3 asked.

"No, don't you remember, you have to get permission from moon base before you can go on a mission," Numbuh 4 informed them. "And since you don't have any real proof of this child-eating monster or this Vlad person, moon base will never let you go on this mission, so I guess you can't go," Numbuh 4 finished.

The Kids Next Door finally stopped walking, as they reached the hangar where Numbuh 2 was preparing the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. for take off. They were silent for a moment, but then Numbuh 1 spoke.

"Hmm, I guess you're right Numbuh 4. I guess we do have to get permission from moon base," Numbuh 1 replied.

"Uh huh," Numbuh 4 said with a confident attitude.

"And I guess they wouldn't let us go with the little evidence we have, especially not the statement from that crazy kid," Numbuh 1 continued, while Numbuh's 3 and 5 had concerned looks on their faces believing that now they wouldn't be going.

"Uh huh," Numbuh 4 said again with the same tone of voice believing he had succeeded.

"Which is why we're not going to tell moon base," Numbuh 1 finished.

"Uh hu-...What!?" Numbuh 4 yelled. "But, but you can't..." Numbuh 4 began to say before being interrupted.

"Numbuh 1, I've set the course for the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and we're all ready to go!" Numbuh 2 yelled from inside the ship.

"Very good Numbuh 2, we'll be in, in a minute," Numbuh 1 answered. Numbuh 4 only gaped in shock at his fellow teammates. "Come on troops let's move out," Numbuh 1 instructed to Numbuh 5 and Numbuh 3, and with that they headed to the ship.

"But, but you can't go, you can't go without telling moon base, you'd be breaking the rules, and you're the leader...you're supposed ta..." Numbuh 4 said with a stutter, before he was interrupted.

Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 5 were now inside the ship, while Numbuh 1 was just outside of it when he began to speak to Numbuh 4 in a more serious tone. "Look, Numbuh 4, I know what we're doing is against the rules, but if what this kid is saying is true then there are kids in danger, and as the Kids Next Door, it's our sworn duty to protect kids, so even if it means breaking a few rules we're going to do our job and make the world safe for kids everywhere," Numbuh 1 explained.

"But...but...but, how can you be sure?" Numbuh 4 asked.

"I'm not sure, but it's a chance we'll just have to take," Numbuh 1 explained, and just then Numbuh 5 walked up to doorway of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and spoke out.

"C'mon, Numbuh 4, think about it, don't you have a feeling deep down that maybe what this kid is saying might be true?" Numbuh 5 asked.

There was no response from Numbuh 4. What Numbuh 5 had said was right on the money. Numbuh 4 did have a feeling that maybe the kid was telling the truth, it was a feeling each of them had had ever since their conversation with the child, but being the stubborn kid he was Numbuh 4 attempted to block it out.

"Come on Numbuh 4, we could really use you on this mission," said Numbuh 1, who was now inside the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

"Yeah, Numbuh 4, are you sure you don't wanna come, are ya really sure?" Numbuh 3 asked as she headed out of the S.C.A.M.P.E.R and skipped and stood next to Numbuh 4.

Numbuh 4 only gave a firm "Hmph", folded his arms and turned his back to his teammates.

"All right, suit yourself," said Numbuh 5.

"Come on Numbuh 3," Numbuh 1 said.

"Ok, la la la la la la la," Numbuh 3 answered as she sang her little song and skipped back to S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

"Numbuh 2 prepare to take off," Numbuh 1 instructed, as he and Numubuh 5 went inside, as the ship got ready to take to the air.

Numbuh 4 kept his firm stance as the ship engines revved behind him. He thought about everything that was going on. About his teammates, the mission, that strange kid and that feeling in his gut that he had. It was at that point that Numbuh 4 made the decision that he knew he would most likely live to regret.

"Aw, Crud!" Numbuh 4 yelled, and with that he ran inside the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. through the ship's door, which was still open. The ship ascended off the ground and took flight through the air as the Kids Next Door headed off to their next new adventure.

Meanwhile 

Inside what was once Father's mansion, Vlad and the Delightful Children from Down the Lane were making the final preparations to their nefarious plan.

"Are the forces ready, children?" Vlad asked.

"Yes master," The Delightful's responded.

"Very good, load them onto the ship, and set a course...for the Miasma Jungle,"

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Authors Notes: Well did ya like it? Yep this is my chapter pretty much totally devoted to the KND, I hope I didn't make them seem OOC. Oh and about Guanonova, yes that is a country I made up, I don't know why I made up a country, I thought they did it on one episode of Kids Next Door (Operation C.A.K.E.D.-T.H.R.E.E. I think) and I try to keep my stories true to the real show. Well, whatever if you like the idea of me making up landmarks fine, but if you want me to use real places then let me know, 'cause the Kids Next Door will be traveling to other places in this story. Well that's all I gotta say for now, just please remember to review and tell me what ya think. Till next time I'm outta here.


	6. Searching the Jungle

Author's Intro: Hey Everybody! Nothing really to report this time around. So anyway its time to answer reviews.

Bubblebean022: Well like I said I try to keep the characters as true to the show as possible. Thanks for the review.

Bartholomew: Thank you very much for the review. I'm glad you like my story so much, and no I'm not offended that you graded my story, in fact I appreciate it (by the way could you tell me what having something down to a T means?). Also, no offense, but don't depreciate the other authors, I'm sure that if they took the time to register on this site, write out a story and post it, then they must at least be trying (Again no offense, I'm just telling you what I think and offering some advice, so as not to arouse conflict). Did I really make spelling and grammar mistakes? That's one of the things I try to be the most careful about when writing my story, don't get me wrong, I strive to write a great story with good plot development and characters, but still I'm really self-critical about my grammar. Anyway thank you again very much for the review and I will do everything in my power to update ASAP.

Well that's all for now I suppose, on with the story.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it.

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Amongst the vast tropical continent, the Kids Next Door S.C.A.M.P.E.R. rocketed through the sky. The Kids Next Door had been traveling in their ship for about an hour, en route to the Miasma Jungle. They had just recently entered the country of Guanonova and it wouldn't be long before they reached their destination.

"Numbuh 2, give me the estimated time till arrival," Numbuh 1 ordered.

"We should be arriving in about five minutes," Numbuh 2 answered.

"Good, keep a steady course," Numbuh 1 instructed.

"Yeah, yeah great, the sooner we get there the better," Numbuh 4 said, although none of the other Kids Next Door really paid any attention to him.

Numbuh 4, needless to say, hadn't exactly been enjoying the trip. From the moment the ship took off, Numbuh 4 knew he had made a mistake by deciding to come on the mission at the last minute. In his mind he thought of how much a mistake he and his teammates had made, how they could get in trouble with moon base, how they were trusting a kid they didn't even know, and how they didn't really have any idea what they were doing.

Unbeknownst to Numbuh 4, however, all of his teammates were thinking pretty much the same thing. They were all fully aware of what the consequences could be for their actions and they realized the fact that they had very little information of the circumstances and were acting mostly on conjecture. And although they had made their decision after careful contemplation and considering all the factors and finally proceeding in the way they thought was best, in the back of their minds they couldn't help but wonder if they were doing the right thing. But regardless they moved on.

"Wow, just look at this place," Numbuh 5 remarked as she looked out a window, observing the lush tropical landscape they were flying over.

"Ooh, look at all the pretty birdies," Numbuh 3 commented as a flock of colorful exotic birds flew past the ship.

"Yeah we've never been anywhere like this Numbuh 1," Numbuh 2 said as he piloted the ship.

"It is nice isn't it," Numbuh 1 agreed. "We must be getting close, but stay alert team, remember this place might be dangerous," he reminded them. "How close are we Numbuh 2?" he asked.

"We should be there in about a minute" Numbuh 2 replied. "I'll get started on the landing sequence," he said.

"Very well Numbuh 2" Numbuh 1 responded.

The rest of the team prepared themselves as well, both physically and mentally. In less than a minute they would arrive at their destination and before them would lie the real challenge of finding whatever it was the mysterious child had sent them to find. The ship continued its course and everyone got themselves ready for the landing sequence.

"All right we're in!" Numbuh 2 yelled as they finally entered the long awaited Miasma Jungle. "I'll begin immediate landing now," he said.

And with that, the ship quickly decreased its velocity until it hovered above the many trees that made up the jungle. The ship slowly descended in a straight vertical as the Kids Next Door braced themselves for impact. The ship continued its descent until it finally landed on the grassy, somewhat marshy terrain.

"All right we've landed," Numbuh 2 proclaimed.

"Excellent work Numbuh 2," Numbuh 1 accredited to him. "Alright team, arm yourselves and lets head out," Numbuh 1 instructed.

The team then left their posts to retrieve each of their respective weapons. Numbuh 1 grabbed a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R., Numbuh 2 and 3 each took a G.L.O.M.P., Numbuh 4 brought a mustard gun, and Numbuh 5 retrieved a S.C.A.M.P.P. After doing so, they headed out and followed Numbuh 1 as he had instructed. They all had a sense and look of duty and determination as they ran out of the ship, all except Numbuh 4 that is, who still did not share the same enthusiasm as his teammates, and instead had a somewhat cynical, uninterested look on his face as he went with them.

Outside, they stood aside the ship in a small cluster where they awaited further instructions from Numbuh 1. Each of them carried his or her own weapon as they kept their dutiful expression while Numbuh 4 maintained his contemptuous one. Numbuh 1 finally spoke out to his comrades.

"All right team, we're here. Now remember we're in an area we are not familiar with, so be on your guard, and be on the look out for anything suspicious or out of the ordinary," Numbuh 1 explained. "I believe the best course of action would be to split up into groups, we don't know exactly what we're looking for here and we'll cover more ground that way. So Numbuh 5 you pair up with Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 2 you go with Numbuh 4, I'll go off on my own, is that clear?" he further explained.

"Sure thing," Numbuh 2 said.

"No problem," Numbuh 5 retorted.

"Yup," Numbuh 3 answered.

"Yeah, yeah," Numbuh 4 responded.

"Good, we'll each hold our own wrist communicators and locaters so we can keep track of each other's whereabouts. Remember we're supposed to be looking for a child-eating monster or something that may have to do with it, so again, watch your back," Numbuh 1 explained. "Now, are you all ready?" he asked, they all gave an affirmative nod. "Kids Next Door, move out!"

With that, Numbuh's 2, 3, 4 and 5 split into their groups while Numbuh 1 headed out solo. Each of them had a slight feeling of tenseness inside them as they entered the dark swampy jungle. But regardless they pressed forth as it was their job, their duty, to help kids in danger, so they continued onward, knowing not what lied ahead.

#&#&#&#&#&# 

Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 4 had trekked through the jungle for quite a while now, it had seemed like they had been traveling all day, but in reality it been but no more than an hour. The jungle was huge, and even with the five of them split into three groups no one had found anything sign of a child-eating monster, but Numbuh 1 still insisted that they keep looking.

The two operatives had seen nothing but typical jungle landscape, some tropical ferns, the occasional wild snake or frog and tall trees that completely blocked out the rays of the sun, which, on the plus side, did relieve them of the heat, but it was still tiring journey. Their feet became sore from constantly walking through the dank, boggy landscape, and they grew impatient, especially Numbuh 4.

"Uh, how long have we been going Numbuh 2?" Numbuh 4 asked with a moan in his voice.

"Oh, I don't know it feels like we've been walking around all day, but I guess it's been a little over an hour," Numbuh 2 answered.

"AN HOUR!!?" Numbuh 4 exclaimed. "How can it be just over an hour!? I'm hot, I'm sweaty, my feet hurt, and worst of all, I'm getting a wedgie!" He protested.

"Man, would you cut it out, I don't like it either, but Numbuh 1 said we have to keep looking," Numbuh 2 argued.

"Ugh, what is it we're looking for again?" Numbuh 4 asked.

"Not sure, well like Numbuh 1 said, I guess we're looking for a child-eating monster, or something about it," Numbuh 2 replied.

"Stupid, cruddy mission, I knew this was a bad idea. I didn't even wanna come on this mission in the first place!" Numbuh 4 yelled.

"Well then why did you come? Nobody forced you to go on this mission you know," Numbuh 2 argued.

Numbuh 4 was silent for a moment, but then answered back. "Ah, just forget it, as long as we've got no choice, lets just keep going," he said in annoyance, and with that he walked off ahead of Numbuh 2.

"Sheesh," Numbuh 2 muttered and then proceeded to follow Numbuh 4.

#&#&#&#&#&# 

In another part of the jungle Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 5 continued their search, but they too were growing weary and tired from walking through the harsh jungle conditions. As they traveled their shoes became wet from the swampy terrain, and they became tired and sweaty from the humidity.

"Ooh, Numbuh 5 I'm tired, can we take a break?" Numbuh 3 asked.

"Numbuh 1 said we have to keep searching Numbuh 3, so lets just keep going," Numbuh 5 answered. Numbuh 5 was also becoming tired as they trailed through the vast jungle.

"Eww, this water is making my feet all icky and sticky," Numbuh 3 said as she lifted up one of her shoes, but Numbuh 5 didn't pay much attention to her. "Hey, that rhymes, icky sticky, icky sticky, icky sticky, icky sticky..." She said and then began to sing in a random tune.

Numbuh 5 was already on edge from wandering the jungle all day, and now with this in addition she was about to lose it. "NUMBUH 3 would you BE QUIET!!!" She yelled. Numbuh 3 was taken aback by Numbuh 5's sudden outburst and immediately stopped her singing, and just stood in shock.

"I'm sorry," Numbuh 3 apologized, after a brief pause.

Numbuh 5 was also a bit surprised by what she just did, so she took a moment to compose herself, and then spoke again. "No, no I...I'm sorry Numbuh 3...it's...it's just this jungle...I guess I'm getting kinda tired too," she explained.

"Well, it's okay. I know what you mean," Numbuh 3, said calmly and understandingly.

Numbuh 5 just sighed. "...Maybe we should take a break," she decided, and then sat down on a nearby rock. Numbuh 3 quickly joined her and they both took a moment to relax. As they sat, Numbuh 5 seemed to go deeply into thought, which Numbuh 3 took notice of.

"What are ya thinkin' about Numbuh 5?" Numbuh 3 asked.

"What? Oh I just can't stop thinking about that kid, you know the one who told us to come here," Numbuh 5 said.

"Really? Do you liiiiiiike him?" She asked in a somewhat tantalizing tone of voice.

"What? No, no," Numbuh 5 assured her. "I just can't figure that guy out," she explained.

"Hmm, well I think he's silly, but he's really nice," Numbuh 3 commented.

"Yeah, I guess so," Numbuh 5 said.

Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 5 rested for a few more minutes on the rock, most of the time remaining silent as Numbuh 5 was still thinking. After a while Numbuh 5 finally decided they should get moving again.

"Well, c'mon Numbuh 3 we better get going," Numbuh 5 said as she got up from the rock.

"Okay, la la la la la la la," Numbuh 3 responded as she began to sing again. The two proceeded to walk through the jungle and, having now rested, were a little more optimistic.

#&#&#&#&#&# 

As Numbuh 1 trekked through the jungle by himself, he too was turning weary and doubtful of the situation he and his team were in. All of them had searched the jungle for a while now and not one of them had seen anything. Numbuh 1 was exhausted from searching the marshy and humid jungle, and he knew his teammates were feeling the same way as well. Numbuh 1 stopped for a moment and observed the immediate area around him, partly because he was tired and partly because he was losing his confidence.

"Uhhh, maybe coming here was a mistake," he said to himself.

Numbuh 1 grew even more doubtful of the situation and began to wonder if there even was a child-eating monster. Maybe Numbuh 4 was right, maybe the kid was just crazy and there was nothing here. He knew he and his team had only been searching about an hour, but still between the five of them and being split into three groups he thought they should have found something by now.

'Uh, I just don't understand it, I thought that we would find something, and I trusted that kid, but...oh I just don't know,' he thought.

Numbuh 1 then walked over to a nearby rock to rest on and think more about his predicament. He had had that feeling deep down that maybe that kid had been telling the truth, but now he became disbelieving and logic began to set. It had been just instinct that brought them here, but he was so sure they would find something, and he had gone even though it meant disobeying Kids Next Door regulation, and now he had brought his team out here and they had found nothing.

"Huh, this is all just so confusing," he said to himself as he sat on the rock.

"It is quite perplexing isn't it?" A voice said from behind Numbuh 1.

"Yeah," Numbuh 1 said in calm agreement to the mysterious voice. Suddenly Numbuh 1 realized the voice behind him and opened his eyes wide with shock and fell of the rock and onto the ground. Numbuh 1 quickly looked up and before him sat the same mysterious child, still with his blue zoot suit and his umbrella, sitting on the rock where he had sat.

"Hey Numbuh 1," the boy greeted happily.

"You. It's...it's you," Numbuh 1 stuttered, as he stood back up.

"Uh yup, it's me. I mean, I'm not anybody else," the boy responded, as he turned to face Numbuh 1 and got into a crouch position on the rock.

"Uh, right...but um, what are you doing here?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Oh, just dropped by to say hi," he responded. "So, what's going on? Been traveling the jungle a while? Getting tired and sweaty? Having doubts about the mission? Not sure if all of this is worth it?" the boy inquired.

"What? Well...yes. How did you know?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Eh, I know things," the boy replied casually.

"Apparently," Numbuh 1 said.

"Well, of course, it's not as if anybody within a fifty foot radius couldn't hear you," the boy commented.

"Oh, right," Numbuh 1 said in realization and slight embarrassment.

"Well, at any rate, I just wanted to tell you not to give up. I know it's tiring, but keep it up, you're on the right track," the boy said. "After all, I told you to come here didn't I? You know, to seek out the child-eating monster," he reminded him.

"Oh, so now you're telling me to find a child-eating monster? I thought you said you didn't know anything about that," Numbuh 1 commented.

"Huh? Well of course I know about the monster. It's what I came to tell you about back at the mansion. I mean, why wouldn't I know?" The boy answered.

"Hmm, right whatever," Numbuh 1 replied nonchalantly.

"Well, back on the subject; now this is just me talking, but uh...I would think that Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 4 should be finding something pretty soon," the boy informed him.

"Mm hmm, and just how would you know?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"I told you, I know things," the boy answered.

"Hmm, right. Well thanks, I really appreciate the advice, but don't think you can leave just yet..." Numbuh 1 said and then proceeded to turn around as he talked. "...I don't know exactly what you're up to, but I've got some questions for you, and if you think you're just going to walk off and..." Numbuh 1 continued as he turned back to face the child, but when he turned around the boy was gone. "I don't believe it," Numbuh 1 said to himself.

#&#&#&#&#&#

Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 4 continued searching the jungle landscape, but still found nothing. Numbuh 4 was had grown extremely impatient at this point and was about to call it quits.

"Aah! I'm getting' sick of this!" Numbuh 4 yelled.

"You know what, I am too. Getting sick of your complaining!" Numbuh 2 replied. "I told you, we need to keep looking, now lets go."

"Lousy...cruddy...stinkin'..." Numbuh 4 muttered as they walked along. Suddenly, as Numbuh 4 took his next step, he stepped in a mud puddle completely soaking his foot and covering it with mud. Numbuh was infuriated by this and finally erupted in a rage of anger. "AAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!! That's It! That's It! I can't take this anymore!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.

Numbuh 2 quickly turned around and saw that Numbuh 4's leg had been drenched in water and mud. "Ah, would you knock it off, it's just a little mud," Numbuh 2 said.

"Oh no...no, no, NO, NO, NO!! I ain't puttin' up with this anymore! I'm through with this cruddy mission! I'm not taking another step!" Numbuh 4 yelled as he put his foot down, literally.

"Ah, c'mon Numbuh 4 we don't have time for this..." Numbuh 2 said.

"Uh, uh, no way. I told ya I ain't movin' from this spot," Numbuh 4 said stubbornly. "As far as I know, we've been traveling this jungle for what seems like forever and what have we found? NOTHING!!! N-A-V-...Whooooaaaa!!" Numbuh 4 said as he leaned against a tree branch, but then fell through a layer of shrubbery, which led him to fall down a steep hill, which went for what seemed like forever to Numbuh 4. He finally landed at the bottom of the hill and Numbuh 2 immediately ran down the hill after him.

"Numbuh 4! Are you okay?" Numbuh 2 said as he stopped where Numbuh 4 had fell.

"Uh, yeah, yeah I'm fine, just a stupid, cruddy tree branch, and a stupid, cruddy hill, and..." Numbuh 4 began, but he then noticed that Numbuh was staring at something straight ahead in the direction Numbuh 4 had fallen. "Hey Numbuh 2 what are ya starin' at, I...whoa," Numbuh 4 said as he soon found out what Numbuh 2 was looking at.

Before the two KND operatives, stood a large temple on top of a small mound in a flatter, grassier terrain. Surrounding the temple was a large moat, at least fifteen feet wide, and steps, which led up to the moat and the temple. Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 4 could only stare in amazement at the magnificent sight in front of them. After over an hour of traversing the marshy jungle this site was a welcome change. Numbuh 2 quickly turned on his communicator to report this news to Numbuh 1.

"Uh, Numbuh 1...I think we found something," Numbuh 2 spoke into the communicator.

#&#&#&#&#&#

In another part of the jungle, Numbuh 1 was continuing his search, after his encounter with the mysterious boy, when he heard his communicator go off. He held it up to listen and could see the signal was coming from Numbuh 2, but he couldn't make out the message.

"What was that Numbuh 2? I didn't copy," Numbuh 1 said into his communicator.

"I said, I think we found something," Numbuh 2 repeated, his voice sound scratchy and staticy through the voice box.

Numbuh 1 got the message this time and immediately a thought popped into his head, the mysterious child had been right. The same boy he just met with, had told him that Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 4 would find something and they had, he was right. He just couldn't believe it, even more now he wanted to know who this kid was. It seemed this child seemed to know almost everything, about the Kids Next Door, the monster, Father and the Delightful Children, even he and his team's personality's, and now this.

"Numbuh 1...Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 2 said through the communicator, as he had not gotten a response.

Finally, Numbuh 1 broke out of his trance. "Huh...what? Oh...yes, yes um, alright Numbuh 2 you and Numbuh 4 stay where you are, and I'll contact the others and we'll find you on our locators, got it?" Numbuh 1 instructed.

"Roger, over and out," Numbuh 2 responded.

Numbuh 1 then proceeded to contact Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 5 on the communicator and pretty soon got a connection through to them. "Hello...hello...Numbuh 5?" Numbuh 1 said through the communicator.

"This is Numbuh 5, what's up boss?" Numbuh 5 responded after a few seconds.

"I just received a transmission from Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 4, it looks like they found something. Get a lock on their locations and we'll all meet there. Is that clear?" Numbuh 1 explained.

"We're on it chief," Numbuh 5 answered.

"Very good, this is Numbuh 1, over and out," Numbuh 1 said over the communicator and then signed off.

Elsewhere in the jungle Numbuh 5, after finishing her brief conversation with Numbuh 1, got out her locater and got a signal on Numbuh 2 and 4. "Come on Numbuh 3, Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 4 found somethin' and we gotta go meet 'em!" Numbuh 5 yelled to her teammate.

"Yeah! Super secret mission fun time! Yeeeeaaah!!" Numbuh 3 yelled.

"Yeah, yeah c'mon," Numbuh 5 urged her comrade, and with that, they began to run through the jungle to Numbuh 2 and 4's location, and Numbuh 1 did the same on the other side of the jungle.

Meanwhile, Numbuh 2 and Numbuh 4 stood in wait for their teammates to arrive. They had already waited about ten or fifteen minutes and Numbuh 4, as usual, was becoming impatient. "Ugh, what's takin' 'em so long? Why aren't they here yet?" Numbuh 4 asked.

"Well it is a big jungle Numbuh 4, it'll probably take 'em a while," Numbuh 2 replied.

"Ah c'mon I wanna check out that place, I wanna go," Numbuh 4 complained.

"What's up with you? Just a moment ago you said you weren't going to move a foot, now you want to leave?" Numbuh 2 asked.

"Well yeah, but this is different, now we've found something," Numbuh 4 protested.

"Hmm, whatever, well Numbuh 1 told us to stay here anyway, and that's what we're gonna do, alright," said Numbuh 2.

"Ah forget that. That thing's right in front of us, no way am I missin' out on this," Numbuh 4 said as he began to run towards the temple.

"Wait! Numbuh 4..." Numbuh 2 yelled trying to stop his friend, but it was too late, he was already long gone. "...Ah, forget it," Numbuh 2 said giving up trying to reason with him.

Numbuh 4 made his way to the large temple and stopped just outside the moat. He stared in awe at the magnificent architecture of the building, which must have been hundreds of years old. There was some vegetation growing through all the cracks in the stone structure, but it had mostly been pretty well preserved.

"Wow, this place is HUGE," Numbuh 4 said in astonishment.

Just then something appeared out of the corner of his eye, which caught his attention.

While this was happening, Numbuh 1, 3 and 5 had finally made it to where Numbuh 2 was located. "Numbuh 2...Numbuh 2!" Numbuh 1 yelled as they approached their comrade.

"Oh, hey guys, 'bout time ya showed up," Numbuh 2 responded.

"Yeah, yeah sorry about that," Numbuh 5 said.

"So, what's this thing that you found?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"See for yourself," Numbuh 2 promptly replied, and then showed them the humongous temple that stood before them. Numbuh 1, 3 and 5 all stood in amazement at the towering structure before them. "Wooooooowwwwwww" Numbuh 1 and 5 said in unison.

"Oooooooooo," Numbuh 3 said after them.

"So this is it huh?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Yep, this is it," Numbuh 2 replied.

Numbuh 1 then took a moment to think about the next course of action. "Okay team, now that we've regrouped I think the best thing to do is investigate this temple and see if we can find anything, got it?" Numbuh 1 instructed.

"Got it," the rest of the team said together.

"Hey, where's Numbuh 4?" Numbuh 3 asked.

"Uh, yes where is he, Numbuh 2," Numbuh 1 asked.

"Oh, he decided to go ahead," Numbuh 2 answered.

"What? I told the both of you to stay here," Numbuh 1 complained.

"Tch, well you try reasoning with that guy," Numbuh 2 said in his defense.

"Uhh, ah c'mon we'd better get going," Numbuh 1 said, and then began to walk towards the temple, as did the others.

"Sheesh, he better not have hurt himself," Numbuh 5 muttered as they made their way to the building.

At the temple site Numbuh 4 was still standing beside the moat and still staring at what had caught his interest. It wasn't long, however, before Numbuh 1, being ahead of everyone else, made it to where Numbuh 4 stood.

"Numbuh 4, what are you doing? I told to stay where you were and wait till we got here," Numbuh 1 said in disappointment. This, unfortunately, had no effect on Numbuh 4, as he was still staring at what had caught his attention and was completely oblivious to Numbuh 1's complaint, as well as everything else. "Numbuh 4 are you listening to me, I said...whoa," Numbuh 1 began to say, but then his attention was diverted to the same thing Numbuh 4 was staring at.

As they stood in astonishment, Numbuh 5 soon joined them. "What's up Numbuh 1? Have you guys...whoa," Numbuh 5 said, but she also noticed the thing Numbuh 1 and 4 were looking at, and only stood in shock as they did.

Soon enough Numbuh 3 joined them as well. "Hi guys, I'm here, what's goin'...whoa," Numbuh 3 began to say, and predictably enough saw the same thing that had made her teammates stare in awe, and sure enough made her do the same.

Just a few moments later, Numbuh 2 reached the temple as well, panting and sweating a bit after the long run. "Hey guys, you think you could run a little slower, I was about to...wh..." Numbuh 2 said in the same fashion as the rest, but this time was interrupted on the "whoa" as Numbuh 5 slapped her hand over his mouth.

The five Kids Next Door all simply stared at the thing that had left them all speechless, and that thing was the moat. When Numbuh 4 had first taken notice, the moat had spurted a single bubble that had come from below the surface. Soon following the bubble were many bubbles, each arriving to the surface, popping and being replaced by new ones, and the process growing more rapid each second. The bubbling continued until it became a large spot in the moat, about ten feet in diameter, and looked like a large boiling spot, which is what the five Kids Next Door were currently staring at.

As they continued their unending gaze, the spot in the moat kept bubbling until it became so rapid that the spot began to foam. The bubbling continued, becoming more rapturous and even larger bubbling beginning to occur beneath the foam. The Kids Next Door grew uneasy from what was happening in front of them and slowly took a step back and gaining a bit of their self-awareness back. The spot in the moat kept foaming and bubbling, becoming more and more powerful until it was replace by a humongous figure that sprang from under the water.

The figure sprouted forth rising and stretching far into the sky, splashing water onto the stone pavement and the five Kids Next Door operatives. The figure finally stopped stretching it's elongated body into the air and paused, water trickling down from all sides of its surface. The Kids Next Door all looked in horror at the thing that stood in front of them, its top peaked high in the sky and its base coming from under the water.

Before the Kids Next Door stood a giant serpent.

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Author's Notes: Long chapter eh? Well the next one might be even longer, so I'm still debating if I should split my next one into two or not, but anyway. About the KND weapons I listed, those are all official weapons from the show, but I'm not so sure about the G.L.O.M.P. (it's the gumball gun), I'm not entirely sure if that's what it's called, I thought I heard that's what it was called someplace, but if anyone knows for sure please inform me. But that'll be it for now, remember to send reviews and tell me what you think, and as always flames are welcome. TTFN, Ta Ta For Now (I couldn't resist).


	7. Battle with the Serpent

Authors Intro: Hello again loyal fans, and newcomers, this here be chapter 7 of Operation V.O.Y.A.G.E., but you probably knew that already. Hey waddya know I actually managed to update in less than two weeks eh, yes shocking I know. Well time to answer reviews.........Oh, wait there are none...dang. Seriously guys did I mess up on the last chapter or something, I mean I usually get at least one review per chapter. Not that I'm forcing anyone to review my story, I understand nobody has to review if they don't want to, I'm just wondering if there was something I did wrong in the last chapter. Okay I'm done being a dork right now. At any rate, I know I said this chapter might be long (and I guess it is kinda long), but the chapter I was planning turned out longer than I thought so I divided it into two, this one and the one coming up after it. Well, that's all for now, lots of action this chapter, so lean back and enjoy.  
  
Disclaimer: Mr. Warburton owns the Kids Next Door and I wouldn't want it any other way.

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The Kids Next Door could only stare at the gigantic monster that towered above them. The serpent had a long, scaly body, with yellowish greenish skin. It stood, what seemed like to the Kids Next Door, over a hundred feet high. It had an elongated mouth, which within held several rows of dozens of jagged teeth, as well as two small nostrils located at the point of the mouth.

As they gazed at the creature, the Kids Next Door made eye contact with its piercing, glowing yellow eyes, which were so intimidating and enigmatically evil that, if they were children of even the slightest bit weaker of spirit, they would have fainted on sight. Most notably, the giant serpent had, embedded in its forehead, a giant orange jewel, which made a blinding flare as it glinted in the sunlight.

The Kids Next Door were completely stunned at this massive figure, and, although their instincts told them otherwise, they just stood, unsure of what to do next. "Um...maybe it's friendly," Numbuh 2 suggested uncertainly.

Just then, having heard Numbuh 2, the serpent immediately jerked its head to face the Kids Next Door directly. The Kids Next Door all took shock at this and Numbuh 2 gulped realizing what he had done. The serpent then twitched its head a bit and then let out a mighty roar. "RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!"

"And maybe we oughta get our butts OUTTA HERE!!!" Numbuh 5 yelled.

The creature then pulled its head back, and let out another smaller roar, and then instantly lunged itself forth towards the Kids Next Door. With that, the Kids Next Door panicked and scattered, running in different directions and just avoiding the serpent's strike as its head made impact on the ground, causing them to fall down as they ran. They all soon got up and regained their footing, as debris from the impact flew everywhere and the dust from the impact began to clear. The Kids Next Door all looked at the serpent, which then quickly lifted its head off the ground and let out another small roar, as it prepared to attack again.

"Okay, so I guess he wasn't friendly," Numbuh 2 remarked.

"How'd ya figure that one out, Einstein," Numbuh 5 retorted.

"Heh, heh," Numbuh 2 muttered. "So...do you think this is it?" Numbuh 2 asked to no one in particular.

"Sure looks like a kid eating monster to me," Numbuh 4 said.

The Kids Next Door all got themselves ready for another strike from the monster, as it stared at them viciously. "In that case..." Numbuh 1 began. "...Kids Next Door, Battle Stations!" Numbuh 1 yelled his familiar cry. The Kids Next Door then took their respective battle stances and prepared for their attack.

"Five!" Numbuh 5 yelled, as she revealed her S.C.A.M.P.P.

"Four!" Numbuh 4 yelled, unsheathing his mustard gun.

"Three!" Numbuh 3 yelled, taking out her G.L.O.M.P.

"Two!" Numbuh 2 yelled, likewise taking out his G.L.O.M.P.

"One!" Numbuh 1 finished, pulling out his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R.

After finishing their battle cries, the serpent immediately lunged at them once more, but again the Kids Next Door were able to dodge its attack. After once again regaining their footing, the five operatives aimed each of their respective weapons at the serpent. Numbuh 2, 3, 4 and 5 all then fired at the serpent, hitting it straight in the face.

As the blasts shot forth at the serpent, its head got pushed back and it started to struggle a little, but it soon broke free of the onslaught and let out another roar. The Kids Next Door all gasped in horror, seeing that the attack had seemed to have no affect on the beast.

"It...it didn't work," Numbuh 4 said in astonishment.

"Then we'll try again," Numbuh 5 said determinedly.

With that, they all shot another array of blasts at the serpent. However, this time, the serpent just charged straight through the bombardment, not being affected in the least bit. The Kids Next Door ceased their attack on the monster as it dove straight towards them. They all jumped out of the way, again, just missing the serpent's assault, but it quickly turned its head back around.

This time the serpent made a dash towards Numbuh 1 who had just gotten up after the serpent's previous strike. Numbuh 1 soon realized the monster was heading straight for him and quickly took a fighting stance and pointed his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. straight at it. Sweat trickled down Numbuh 1's face as the serpent drew nearer, mere feet away from where Numbuh 1 was standing, until it was time for Numbuh 1 to execute his attack. Just as the beast was about to strike Numbuh 1, he pulled the trigger of his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. and the wooden plank sprung forth smacking the beast in the nose.

The serpent immediately stopped due to the shock of the strike to its nose, as Numbuh 1 looked on hopefully. However, Numbuh 1 was not so fortunate, as the beast merely shook its head, quickly dismissing the blow that had been dealt to it, and then let out a small growl at Numbuh 1. Numbuh 1 looked at the monster, regretting what he had done, and gave a frightened chuckle. The serpent then raised its head, moving to the side of Numbuh 1 and then smacked him with all its might, sending him flying until he hit one of the walls of the temple.

Numbuh 1 attempted to get back up, rubbing his head as he got up from the stone floor, but it wasn't long before he saw that the serpent was heading for him again. Numbuh 1 was now defenseless as his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. was no use and he hadn't time to come up with a new plan. The lone operative could only look on in suspense as the serpent charged forth. He braced himself for the impact, but suddenly four familiar beams struck the serpent, causing it to break off its attack on Numbuh 1.

The serpent quickly turned itself around to face its assailants, Numbuh 2, 3, 4 and 5, and then quickly lunged straight at them. The four operatives continued their attack on the creature as it sped forth, however this time the blasts hit the jewel embedded in its forehead. The serpent slowly stopped its assault and began to wince as the blasts kept hitting its forehead. As the others kept firing, Numbuh 1 took notice to this and continued to watch and see what would happen.

The monster, however, soon broke from the blasts once again and then let out a loud roar of pain. As the others looked on in disappointment, Numbuh 1 was now struck with inspiration. The serpent then let down his head and once more lunged at the four operatives and making impact with the ground as they dodged it.

"I can't believe it, nothin's workin' on this thing," Numbuh 4 said.

"Don't be so sure Numbuh 4," Numbuh 1 said. Numbuh 4 then turned his head towards his leader and gave a look of confusion. "Kids Next Door! Aim your blasts at that things forehead!" Numbuh 1 yelled.

"Hmm, all right, if you say so," Numbuh 5 answered.

With that, the four Kids Next Door all shot another round at the serpent's forehead, just as Numbuh 1 had instructed. The creature, once more, backed its head as the blasts came forth and winced its eyes in pain. After a few moments, the Kids Next Door stopped their assault to let their weapons recharge.

"Hmm, just as I thought," Numbuh 1 said. This prompted the other Kids Next Door to turn around and face him to question him.

"What do ya mean, Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 3 asked.

"What? Come on guys, don't you see?" Numbuh 1 asked.

The Kids Next Door then turned around to face the serpent and saw that it was shaking its head about and roaring in pain. A quick realization came over all of the Kids Next Door and they turned back around to face Numbuh 1.

"I'm willing to bet that jewel on its head is its weak spot. If we keep firing at it we might be able to defeat it," Numbuh 1 explained.

"Hey, you're right Numbuh 1," Numbuh 2 said, observing the serpent.

"Yeah, it looks like the big bad snakey's got a bit of a weak spot, huh?" Numbuh 4 added.

"Don't get cocky Numbuh 4, remember this thing is still dangerous. Just fire at that jewel on its forehead," Numbuh 1 restated.

"No problem boss," Numbuh 5 said.

The serpent soon stopped its cries of pain and turned its attention back to the Kids Next Door, and surely enough it made another lunge at them. The Kids Next Door were ready this time though as they fired their blasts at the beast again, hitting the jewel on its forehead, just as Numbuh 1 had told them.

This was how it went for the next few minutes of the battle. The Kids Next Door firing at the serpent's jewel and the serpent striking back by trying to ram them. As the four operatives fired at the jewel it began to crack and shatter a little bit, which caused the serpent to let out more cries of pain, but it still continued its assault. Although the Kids Next Door fought with everything they had, the serpent was relentless as well, never giving up and continuing its attack and even nicking some of them with its continuous blows.

After a while, the Kids Next Door began to weaken and became less and less able to dodge the serpent's attacks. However, the serpent was not as susceptible as them and only continued to strike with its overwhelming power.

"Numbuh 1! This isn't working!" Numbuh 5 yelled out.

"This thing won't quit!" Numbuh 2 added.

"And we're getting tired," Numbuh 3 said with a moan.

At this point both the Kids Next Door and the serpent had taken a few seconds to rest and regain their strength, but it wouldn't be long before they fought again and more than likely the serpent would strike first. 'They're right, that thing doesn't seem to be giving up, and even with the amount of damage we're dealing it, we won't last much longer,' Numbuh 1 thought to himself. Numbuh 1 had to think of a new plan fast.

Numbuh 1 quickly viewed the immediate area; he looked at his teammates, at the serpent and considered all the options open to him. The tension was swelling in Numbuh 1, if he didn't think of something quick it could be the end of him and his teammates. The serpent looked like it had gotten most of its strength back and appeared as though it would attack again, but finally Numbuh 1 thought of something.

"Numbuh 4!" Numbuh 1 yelled, and instantly Numbuh 4 turned to face him. "Once the creature starts attacking again, fire your mustard gun at its eyes!" Numbuh 1 instructed.

"Its eyes? But what about that jewel?" Numbuh 4 asked.

"Just do it!" Numbuh 1 commanded.

"Well...alright," Numbuh 4 said hesitantly.

"What should we do Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 5 asked.

"You three keep firing at the serpent's jewel after Numbuh 4 hits its eyes," Numbuh 1 answered.

"All right, we're on it," Numbuh 5 answered back.

Just then the serpent began attacking again and lunged towards the five operatives. Numbuh 4 then aimed his mustard gun at the creature's eyes, as Numbuh 1 had instructed, and after a few seconds he fired it, hitting it dead on. The serpent immediately ceased its attack and let out a cry of pain as the mustard seeped into its eyes. The thick mustard completely covered its eyes layer upon layer, completely blocking out the creatures vision.

The Kids Next Door all looked at the creature, and each other in relief. "Perfect, good job Numbuh 4," Numbuh 1 said.

"Eh it was no problem Numbuh 1, but what exactly did I do? It's still not beaten. How's blinding it going to help?" Numbuh 4 asked.

"You'll see Numbuh 4," Numbuh 1 assured him. "Now everybody, fire at the jewel!" Numbuh 1 yelled.

"Got it!" Numbuh 2 yelled back.

With that, the Kids Next Door all fired their respective weapons at the serpent, damaging it even further and causing it to shout more cries of pain. However, the serpent wasn't about to give up just yet, and it soon made another charge at the five operatives.

This time, though, the monster was ramming and charging at the Kids Next Door totally erratically, as it was flying, or rather, diving blind. The serpent crashed and smashed into the stone ground, and thrashed its head about completely randomly, and in a way making it more dangerous than before. As it continued attacking, some of the mustard came off of the serpent's eyes, but most of it still stayed and it remained blind.

The Kids Next Door continued their assault as well, having to be more cautious though, as the serpent's actions were unpredictable now. They kept firing, successfully hitting the jewel on the creature's forehead most of the time. The onslaught continued on both sides until the serpent had once again been subdued and this time had its head lowered as it regained its strength. The four operatives were about to fire another blast at the serpent, but they were stopped by Numbuh 1.

"Wait! Hold your fire Kids Next Door!" Numbuh 1 ordered.

"What are you talking about Numbuh..." Numbuh 5 began to say, but before she knew it, Numbuh 1 was running towards the serpent. "Wait! Numbuh 1! NO!!" Numbuh 5 yelled to her leader, but to no avail as Numbuh 1 was already far ahead and had now made a giant leap towards the serpent.

Numbuh 1 then landed on the back of the serpent's head, which caused it to jump and shortly after shake about to get rid of whatever had gotten on top of it, as it could still not see. Numbuh 1 held on for dear life as the serpent continued to jerk its head around every which way, and in the process, shaking more of the mustard off of its eyes. Even as the serpent continued incessantly swerving about, Numbuh 1 attempted to crawl on all fours closer to the front of the creatures head.

Upon seeing the events before them the other Kids Next Door decided that they had to do something. "All right I don't know what's gotten into Numbuh 1, but we gotta get him off that thing," Numbuh 5 instructed her teammates. "Everyone get your weapons ready!" Numbuh 5 yelled and with that they all aimed each of their weapons at the serpent. "On my mark...1...2..." Numbuh 5 began to say, but she was soon cut off.

"DON'T FIRE!!" Numbuh 1 yelled from atop the serpent. All of the Kids Next Door lowered their weapons and looked at Numbuh 1 confusedly. "I can do this guys, leave it to me! Just try not get hit!" He yelled to them.

The four operatives weren't sure what to do. Although they had been given the order by Numbuh 1 to stand down, it still looked like he was in danger, and they were unsure if they should help their leader or not. "Numbuh 5, what do we do?" Numbuh 3 asked.

Numbuh 5 thought for a moment. It sure didn't seem like Numbuh 1 was in control of the situation, but she did have confidence in him, as he was their leader, so she made her decision. "Well, Numbuh 1 says he can do it, so we'll just have to believe him," Numbuh 5 answered. So, deciding to follow Numbuh 1's instructions, the four operatives just watched as their leader struggled against the monster.

Numbuh 1 continued his climb towards the front of the serpent's head, clinging to its skin as hard as he could. The serpent kept thrashing about and by this point had managed to shake all of the mustard out of its eyes. The serpent stopped shaking its head momentarily as it blinked a couple of times to readjust its vision, which gave Numbuh 1 the opportunity to climb the serpent's head more quickly.

The serpent had now fully regained its vision and looked around the immediate area. It soon spotted the other Kids Next Door and, now disregarding Numbuh 1 who was still on its head, lunged towards them. However, Numbuh 1 had now finally made it to the top of the serpent's head and was about to enact his plan.

The other four Kids Next Door only watched in horror as the serpent headed straight for them, and it wouldn't be long before it made impact, so Numbuh 1 had to act fast. He quickly took out his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. and aimed it at the jewel on the creature's forehead, which was already cracked and scratched up a bit. He steadied his weapon the best he could, taking careful aim, and finally he pulled the trigger.

The wooden plank came down at full force, smashing into the orange jewel and completely shattering it into a million pieces. Several beams of light shot out from what was now a small indent on the serpent's forehead where the jewel had been, while the serpent screeched in pain. The bright lights from the beams and the serpent's shrieks caused Numbuh 1 to fall from the serpent's head.

Luckily though, Numbuh 1 was right above his fellow teammates as he plummeted from the sky and Numbuh 2 and 4 were already rushing over, getting ready to catch him. Numbuh 2 and 4 held out their arms to catch their falling comrade, and in a matter of seconds Numbuh 1 landed and they successfully caught him. Numbuh 3 and 5 came over to as well to see if Numbuh 1 needed any extra help.

"You all right Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 5 asked.

"Uhh...yes Numbuh 5, I'll be fine," Numbuh 1 answered as he got up.

As Numbuh 1 recomposed himself, he and his fellow teammates soon took notice of the serpent once again. The serpent was now swiveling its head around, and the spot in its head that had once had beams coming out of it now had black smoke coming from it. The monster soon ceased its constant circling and slowly it tilted over in the direction of the Kids Next Door. The serpent was about to collapse.

"Run!! Get out of the way!!" Numbuh 1 yelled.

And with that all of the Kids Next Door scattered in different directions to avoid the serpent that was about to land on them. The serpent then made impact on the stone ground on its side, completely unconscious. The Kids Next Door slowly over to it, examining it to see if they had really beaten it.

"So, uh...did we do it?" Numbuh 2 asked to no one in particular.

Suddenly, the serpent let out an abrupt burst of light, which shocked all of the Kids Next Door, making their hearts skip a beat. The serpent's body then began to dissolve into thousands of tiny pieces from the top down, which floated off into the air, until its body was completely gone. The Kids Next Door all stood in silence for a moment, for they weren't sure exactly what had just happened, but it looked like they had defeated it; finally Numbuh 4 spoke.

"All Right! Numbuh 1! You did it!" He yelled.

"YAAAAYYYYY!!" Numbuh 3 yelled.

"Yeah, you really did it Numbuh 1," Numbuh 5 added.

"Oh, it was nothing guys, I couldn't have done it without your help," Numbuh 1 said modestly.

As the four operatives chattered on about Numbuh 1's heroism throughout the battle, the large stone door of the temple that had previously been closed was now opening. Numbuh 1, 3, 4 and 5, though, did not notice this as they were busy talking amongst themselves, but Numbuh 2, however, did.

Numbuh 2 watched as the stone door slowly opened, and, as if in some sort of trance, began to walk towards it. Disregarding his friends for the moment, he walked up the steps leading to the temple door, and by the time he reached the top the door had fully opened. Numbuh 2 stopped for only a moment to look at the entrance and decide what he should do, but his natural curiosity, being what it was, prompted him to go inside.

Inside the temple was nothing more than just a very small room, but in this small room was a small pedestal with a treasure chest placed upon it. Numbuh 2 quickly noticed it and slowly began to approach the pedestal. He walked until he stopped just in front of it to examine the small box. He then held out his right hand and gradually reached for the chest, but just as he was about to touch it a bright light shined out from the box.

Numbuh 2 quickly retracted his hand and backed up from the box as it continued to shine its brilliant light. The light continued to shine, until the box, all of a sudden, seemed to open on its own. The chest opened all the way and slowly a folded piece of paper came out. The paper itself also shined with a bright light as it ascended in the air and then began to hover just above the still open treasure box.

Numbuh 2 slowly began to reapproach the pedestal, this time with the intention of grabbing the paper. In a matter of seconds he had come just in front of it and stopped to observe the glowing paper. He then, once more, reached out his hand to grab the paper and this time succeeded in doing so. As he clutched the paper in his hand it immediately lost its glow. He then took the folded paper with both hands and gradually began to unfold it.

He held both ends of the now laid out piece of paper to examine it. As he observed it, it appeared to be some sort of map of the whole world. On the map he could see Asia, Europe, Australia and of course North America, as well as all the other continents. In the top right corner of the paper was an odd-looking, unfamiliar insignia.

"I wonder what this is," Numbuh 2 mumbled to himself.

Suddenly, all the ink that made up the map, aside from the insignia in the corner, vanished into the paper, which surprised Numbuh 2 greatly. Soon the ink had fully disappeared, but then new ink began to take its place. The new ink kept filling in the blank paper until it had finally filled it in entirely and read this...

_Now, with the map _

_You have now found, _

_Follow it where _

_The jewels are bound._

Numbuh 2 read the inscription on the paper, taking a few seconds to memorize, thinking of it as some importance, even though he had no idea what it meant. After a few moments the ink that made up the writing disappeared and the map took its place once again, the insignia in the corner still never changing. However, this time the map had two glowing marks on it, one red and one blue. The red one glowing over a part of northern Africa while the blue one was over the Pacific Ocean.

"What is this?" Numbuh 2 asked to himself, when suddenly he heard something.

"Numbuh 2! Numbuh 2!" Numbuh 1 yelled from outside of the temple.

"...Huh...wha...what..." Numbuh 2 stuttered, breaking his attention away from the map.

"Numbuh 2!" Numbuh 1 restated.

"...What...Oh, Nu...Numbuh 1...hey!" Numbuh 2 answered as he refolded the paper and Numbuh 1 entered the room.

"Numbuh 2 what are you doing? We're having a team discussion so get out here," Numbuh 1 informed him. Numbuh 1 soon eyeballed the folded up paper in Numbuh 2's hand. "Hey Numbuh 2 what have you got there?" He asked.

"What? This?" Numbuh 2 asked holding up the map. "Oh this is uh...this is...well its, uh...a, uh..." Numbuh 2 trailed on, but was then interrupted.

"Ah forget it Numbuh 2," Numbuh 1 said dismissing the subject. "Now come on, the rest of the team is waiting."

"Uh...right," Numbuh 2 said, and with that he headed out of the temple with Numbuh 1. The two operatives soon rejoined their teammates and they began to discuss the current situation.

"Well I guess we did it right? I mean that kid told us to find a child-eating monster and that's what we did, and we beat it from here to next Tuesday," Numbuh 4 said.

"Makes sense to me," Numbuh 3 agreed cheerfully.

"I don't know guys, it seemed like it was too easy," Numbuh 5 argued.

"Easy? You call that easy?" Numbuh 4 asked.

"I don't know, I just think there's more to it than that," Numbuh 5 replied.

"Oh c'mon, the way I see it we came here, traveled the jungle for an hour, found that thing and got rid of it. As far as I'm concerned that should be it, we've put up enough with this mission already, right? What do you think Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 4 said.

"Hmm, I suppose, but still Numbuh 5 may have a point," Numbuh 1 said as he then thought for a moment. "Hmm...well how about you Numbuh 2? What's your opinion?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Well, actually...I uh..." Numbuh 2 began, but again was interrupted.

"Hey, Numbuh 2 what is that?" Numbuh 5 asked.

"What, this?" Numbuh 2 asked holding up the map.

"Yeah, what is that?" Numbuh 5 asked pointing to the folded-up paper.

"What that is, is none of your concern," A voice said from behind the Kids Next Door. The five operatives quickly turned to face where the voice had come from and gasped at what they saw; the Delightful Children from Down the Lane.

"The Delightful Children," Numbuh 1 said hatefully.

"Yes Nigel, good to see you again so soon," The Delightful's replied.

"So, delightful dorks, come back already? I guess you guys didn't get enough of a butt kicking last time, eh?" Numbuh 4 said mockingly.

"Our butts kicked?" The Delightful Children responded. "If we recall correctly, it was us that emerged victorious last time we met," they informed him.

"Oh...right," Numbuh 4 said embarrassingly. "Well, it doesn't matter, 'cause this time we're the ones that are gonna kick your butts!" Numbuh 4 yelled.

"Oh, we seriously doubt that Numbuh 4," the Delightful Children replied. With that a group of armored knights emerged from the forest that surrounded the temple and stood just behind the Delightful Children. "Now, if you would just hand it over quietly, we will leave now," they said.

"Hand what over?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Don't play dumb! You know what we mean, now give it to us!" they said pointing to the paper in Numbuh 2's hand.

"What? You mean this?" Numbuh 2 asked, holding up the paper.

"Yes! Now hand it over!" They ordered.

"Just what do you want it for?" Numbuh 5 asked suspiciously.

"That's none of your business you stupid girl! Now give it to us!" They demanded.

"Eh, just give it to 'em Numbuh 2, it's just a worthless piece of paper," Numbuh 4 said.

"No," Numbuh 2 replied.

"No?" Numbuh 4 said questionably.

"What!?" The Delightful Children said in outrage.

"C'mon, just give 'em the stupid paper Numbuh 2," Numbuh 4 protested.

"Sorry Numbuh 4, but something tells me that there's more to this paper than we think, and we can't just hand it over to them," Numbuh 2 argued.

"But..." Numbuh 4 began to say, but was cut off.

"Numbuh 2's right Numbuh 4. If that paper wasn't important, then the Delightful Children wouldn't want it so badly. Now I don't know what it is or what it's for, but we can't let the Delightful Children take it," Numbuh 1 told him. Numbuh 1 then turned his attention to the Delightful Children. "Sorry, delightful losers, but I'm afraid that it's off limits."

"Hmm, is that your decision?" The Delightful's asked. The Kids Next Door remained silent. "So be it. Knights! Attack!!" The Delightful Children yelled.

"Kids Next Door. Get ready to fight," Numbuh 1 instructed, as the knights charged towards the Kids Next Door.

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Authors Notes: Well waddya think? Sorry if this chapter seemed to drag on or was too detailed, if not than that's cool. Also, were the action scenes good or should I work on them a bit? (because there are going to be LOTS more action scenes). Well anything else you'd like to comment on feel free to do so, and I'll see you all next time.


	8. Fight for the Map

Authors Intro: Guten Tag everyone. Sorry I again still haven't updated in a while, but I've been busy with some stuff (PSAT's and a wedding of a relative) and I've been having a slight case of writers block as well. Time for review answering (hey I have some this time!)

**Bartholomew**- I'm happy to hear you liked the chapter. Oh and don't worry about giving reviews. I know I mentioned in my last chapter that I hadn't gotten any reviews, but its okay. I think I'm just being paranoid, and like I said no one has to review if they don't want, as long as people are enjoying my story and I am more than pleased with the number of reviewers I have, and I won't bring this up anymore. And thanks for complementing on my description of the serpent and the scenery (huh, sounds like a bad Disney title), I'm glad it turned out good. Thanks again for the review.

**The Mortician**- Glad to hear you like my story. And I'm also glad you like the action pats, I wasn't sure while writing this story if my action scenes would be any good, but I guess they turned out all right. Thanks again.

Well anyway, since I haven't updated in a while I'm not entirely sure if there's anything I need to address involving the story or otherwise, but if anyone has any questions just let me know and I'll answer. That all for now, here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I, quite positively, absolutely, definitely, utterly, and completely, do not own Kids Next Door.

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The armored knights charged at full force, while the Kids Next Door stood their ground, weapons in hand, getting ready to fight. The Delightful Children only looked on with amusement and anticipation for the battle that was about to take place; of course they would have no part in it. The knights kept charging until they were within range, and it was time for the Kids Next Door to make their assault.

"Kids Next Door! ATTACK!!" Numbuh 1 shouted.

With that, the five operatives all leapt forth, each picking out their own group of knights to do battle against. The Kids Next Door all began their assault on the knights, firing their weapons at them and beating them with swift kicks and punches. The knights fought back as well, delivering powerful blows with their metal arms, but fortunately missing the Kids Next Door most of the time.

Numbuh 1 fought hard against his group of knights, smacking them with his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R., knocking them over, and swiftly dodging their blows. Numbuh 2 fought hard as well, mostly using his G.L.O.M.P. though, and being careful not to damage, or let the knights capture, the map, as he was the one carrying it. Numbuh 3 made graceful movements as she dodged the knights' attacks and shot with her G.L.O.M.P. Numbuh 4 mainly fought hand-to-hand combat with the knights, as it was his specialty, and only using his mustard gun when necessary. Numbuh 5 fired her S.C.A.M.P.P. at the continuing onslaught of knights, jumping and doing flips over the knights, and being sure to make little or no error.

The Kids Next Door continued their attack on the armored soldiers, however they didn't last too long as the number knights seemed infinite and after a while the Kids Next Door began to grow weary from the battle. The first to succumb to the knights' onslaught was Numbuh 4, as his hands became sore from continuously hitting their metal bodies, and, not being the brightest of the group, he made many tactical errors. A knight soon got the drop on Numbuh 4 and soon caught him in a bear hug, which Numbuh 4 struggled ineffectively to get out of.

Next was Numbuh 3, due to her carelessness while fighting, a knight soon caught her in its left hand, pinning her arms to the side. Numbuh 5 was soon followed by Numbuh 3, when she became exhausted from fighting so hard and doing several flips and jumps, and the same knight that had caught Numbuh 3 quickly caught her in its' other hand. Not long after that, Numbuh 1 yielded to the knights as well, when, after a series of flips and kicks and while he was in midair a knight caught him with both its hands.

Numbuh 2 now stood alone against the knights as all of them closed in on him. He fought off whatever soldiers he could with his G.L.O.M.P., although he was vastly outnumbered. Numbuh 2 kept fighting until he was completely closed in, and then two knights snuck up behind him, one grabbed his right arm with both of its hands and the other, his left. Numbuh 2 struggled uselessly to break free kicking his feet in the air and trying to break the knights hold when suddenly another knight approached him.

As the knight approached, Numbuh 2 struggled even harder to break free, but to no avail. The knight soon stood right in front of Numbuh 2 as the other knights held him, and the lone knight then reached out its hand. The knight then moved its hand towards Numbuh 2, which caused him to wince not knowing what the knight would do, but then the knight grabbed the map in Numbuh 2's back pocket. The knight turned its back and began to walk towards the Delightful Children, leaving the five operatives helplessly in the clutches of the other knights.

The knight stopped just in front of the Delightful's and presented them with the map. "Excellent work soldier, we now have what we want," the Delightful Children said. "Now bring those annoying Kids Next Door to us," they ordered to the other knights. With that the five knights, that held the Kids Next Door, walked forth till they were just a few feet from the Delightful Children. "Poor, poor Kids Next Door, don't you see how feeble your attempts are?" the Delightful Children asked insultingly.

"Alright, so you have what you want, would you just tell us what it is that you want with it?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Oh, its not so much what they want with it, its what I want with it," a voice came from out of nowhere.

This immediately caught the Kids Next Door's attention and they all looked around to see where the voice had come from. "Huh? Who said that?" Numbuh 2 asked. Suddenly a shadowy figure emerged from the jungle and stopped, standing right by the Delightful Children. The five operatives all gasped upon seeing this figure, which looked to be a tall, darkly dressed teenage boy. The teen then turned its' head toward the Delightful Children.

"Hmm, excellent work my children," said the boy, who then took the paper that the Delightful Children presented to him. The figure then folded out the paper examining it. "Mm hmm...yes it appears to be completely authentic. It even has the mark to prove it," the figure said as he examined the map. "Yes, again, exceptional work my Delightful Children," the boy said as he refolded the map and gave it back to them.

The teen then turned his attention to the Kids Next Door. He observed them for a moment and then finally spoke. "Ah the Kids Next Door, so good to finally meet you in person," he said. "Knights, you may release them now," he instructed to the metal soldiers and then snapped his fingers. With that, the knights released all of the Kids Next Door, placing them on the ground on their feet. "Now head back for the ship, we no longer require your assistance," the boy further instructed to the knights. The soldiers then left the area and headed into the jungle.

The boy then observed the scene amongst him, the Delightful's, and the Kids Next Door, and seeing all of the fallen knights from the battle. "It seems you all made quite the mess here. You managed to trash a few of my knights," the teen said. "Well no matter, after all the weak will fall and the strong will rise," the boy semi-muttered. The Kids Next Door all gave an "hmm?" to the figure, not entirely hearing what he said. The figure noticed to this and responded. "Oh nothing, but anyway I must give kudos to my Delightful Children for capturing you."

"Your delightful children?" Numbuh 5 said.

"What are you talking about? They're Father's children. What's going on? Where is he?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Oh yes, Father. Well he's taken an extended leave right now, but for now I'm in charge," the teen half-lied. The Kids Next Door were rightfully suspicious about his explanation, but in the long run it didn't matter at this point. "But at any rate, like I said, my Delightful's did a good job. And here I thought the five of you would be difficult to capture," the boy said somewhat mockingly. The Kids Next Door all gave a slight glare at the boy for his comment. "Oh I admit you did put up a fairly good fight. There was even a point where I thought I would have to intervene, but I can see there was no need," he further explained. "Really Kids Next Door, I thought you'd be more of a challenge, and yet you were defeated by enemies you have already faced in the past," the boy said, making the Kids Next Door more enraged.

"All right, that's enough! Just who are you?" Numbuh 1 yelled.

"Who am I?" the boy asked rhetorically, and then chuckled. "...I am everything that you will grow to fear," he responded. "I am the duke of doom, the earl of evil, the lord of lament, the master of malice, the prince of pain, and the king of cruelty. I am the monster that hides in the closet, I am the shadow that lurks in the darkness, I am the beast that stalks children at night, and I am every child's worst nightmare, come true..." he explained. "...I...am Vlad."

The Kids Next Door all gasped upon hearing his name. "Vlad!?" they all said in unison.

"Oh, you've heard of me perhaps? Hmm, I'm flattered, but still I'm afraid I'm going to have to destroy you," Vlad said.

"What!?" the Kids Next Door all yelled.

"Hmm, yes you see I sent those knights away for a reason. One is that I only needed them to test your skills, which you all apparently don't have much of. And the second is that I'd like the pleasure of destroying you myself. I take such delight in doing it," Vlad explained.

"Why you..." Numbuh 4 said angrily and then leaped forth to make an attack on him.

"Wait! Numbuh 4!" Numbuh 1 yelled out, but it was no use.

Numbuh 4 held back his arm, getting ready to punch, as he flew through the air towards Vlad. He was soon within range of Vlad and was about to make his attack, but then Vlad held out his hand. Immediately, Numbuh 4 stopped in midair, and was completely frozen in his pose.

Numbuh 4 was completely bewildered by this, he was floating in the air, and was now looking down at Vlad who had an evilly devious look on his face. Vlad then gave a large grin and flung his hand forward, which in turn propelled Numbuh 4 back towards his teammates till he hit a nearby tree.

"Numbuh 4!" The other Kids Next Door all yelled. They all stared in disbelief at Numbuh 4, who now lay on the ground, and then at Vlad, who had now lowered his hand.

"What? But...but...how did you do that?" Numbuh 1 asked.

Vlad merely chuckled and then responded. "Oh, you'll see that I can do that and much more my young friend. For you see, I am a sorcerer."

"A sorcerer?" the Kids Next Door all said in unison.

"Yes, and as such, you'll see that I have many tricks up my sleeve," he explained.

Vlad then held out his hands, stretching out his palms and facing them outward. Just then his hands began to glow with a purple energy that soon encompassed both of his hands and produced two large purple orbs. Vlad then put both of his hands together, which still held the orbs, over his head and then separated them causing a much larger purple orb, to appear over his head.

The Kids Next Door all gazed in amazement at the spectacle as the orb glowed turning the entire area purple. Vlad held the orb for a few seconds but then began to put his hands back together over his head again, causing the orb to disappear. Vlad then held out both of his hands to his side, spreading his palms outwards and again they began to glow. Suddenly the scene turned purple again as Vlad's hand began to flash and then several bursts of energy shot out from his hands.

The energy blasts twirled about and sped across the entire area as they were shot out continuously from Vlad's hands. The blasts swerved across the ground and the air and past the Kids Next Door who clumsily dodged the blasts as they came towards them. The blasts, which seemed to be coming in hundreds, swiveled about randomly covering the whole area, until slowly the blasts disappeared and the scene returned to its normal color. The Kids Next Door then lowered their arms, which they had held up to their eyes to protect them from the glare, and looked over to Vlad in complete shock as he just stood there alongside the Delightful Children.

"Dazzling, isn't it? Unfortunately you'll all soon be seeing the more destructive side of my powers," said Vlad.

"You sure like ta show off, don't ya?" Numbuh 4 said.

"Oh, I just like to put on a little show for my victims before I get rid of them is all," Vlad explained.

Numbuh 4 became enraged at Vlad's continuous mocking and shook as he lay on the ground. "You..." he muttered angrily. Just then he sprang up from the ground towards Vlad making another attack and this time making a kick. "...You think your powers are so great!? I bet you wouldn't last a minute without em'!!" Numbuh 4 yelled as he soared through the air.

Numbuh 4 was finally within range to make his attack, but just then Vlad held out his right arm, which blocked Numbuh 4's attack. Vlad then grabbed a hold of Numbuh 4's foot causing Numbuh 4 to fall and having Vlad hold him upside down. This had caught Numbuh 4 completely off guard and he could only look in confusion as he saw that Vlad had, from what Numbuh 4 could make out, since he was upside down, a menacing look on his face.

Vlad then yanked Numbuh 4 completely around and threw him a good distance until he hit another tree on his back and then fell unconscious. Vlad then turned back to the other Kids Next Door, who just stood in complete shock.

"Your friend is quite the impulsive little moron, isn't he?" Vlad said mockingly.

"Hey! Don't you call Numbuh 4 a um, uh...umm eh...hey guys what does "impulsive" mean?" Numbuh 3 asked, as she turned her head to face her teammates.

"Numbuh 3!" Numbuh 1 yelled.

Numbuh 3 was confused by Numbuh 1's cry, but she quickly turned her head and then she immediately knew what he meant. Numbuh 3 was knocked down by a blast of energy that hit her right in the stomach that had, of course, come from Vlad. The impact sent Numbuh 3 flying into the air a few feet until she landed and her teammates immediately rushed to her side.

"You ok Numbuh 3?" Numbuh 5 asked.

"Yeah...I'm alright," Numbuh 3 answered, as she slowly got back up, still hurting a bit from the blast. "Oh...but what about Numbuh 4?" she asked.

"Your friend?" Vlad interrupted. "Oh he'll be fine, for now anyway. I hit him pretty hard, but not hard enough," Vlad explained reminding the Kids Next Door of what he had done to Numbuh 4, and making them give a scowl. "But yes, while I have trained hard in the field of sorcery, I have also trained my body. It's foolish to rely too heavily on one asset," Vlad explained. "And unfortunately for you, that's a mistake you all have made. But no matter, now shall we commence with your destruction?" Vlad said.

"Don't count on it Vlad," Numbuh 1 said angrily. "Kids Next Door! Battle Stations!" Numbuh 1 yelled.

The Kids Next Door all drew their weapons upon Numbuh 1's command and got ready for battle. Immediately Numbuh 5 shot a blast from her S.C.A.M.P.P. directly at Vlad. However, Vlad then held out his left hand, caught the blast, and formed it into a small ball of energy. Numbuh 5 only looked in shock and then subconsciously lowered her weapon. Just then, Vlad made a motion with his hand and fired the beam back, sending it straight at Numbuh 5. The blast made impact and Numbuh 5 was sent flying and landed on the ground cringing in pain.

Numbuh 2 and 3 looked back at their fallen comrade, but then quickly turned back to Vlad and stared at him angrily. They then fired their G.L.O.M.P.'s at him, sending out a barrage of gumballs. Vlad then held out both of his hands towards the bombardment, and as the gumballs came, each began to stop instantly in midair. The gumballs somewhat formed a wall as they stopped all in the same location, as if a giant invisible net was catching them.

Numbuh 2 and 3 stopped their assault, seeing it was having no effect, and looked in awe at the scene before them. After a moment, Vlad crossed his arms across chest, and then immediately uncrossed them and stretching his arms out on both sides. As soon as he did this the wall of gumballs fired all at once and shot straight at Numbuh 2 and 3. They were continuously pelted by the onslaught of gumballs and soon fell to the ground.

Numbuh 1 stood, with his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. in hand, facing Vlad and now under the realization that he was alone. He looked at his fallen comrades, which only angered him more and made him give a menacing glare at Vlad. Numbuh 1 then lunged toward Vlad, jumping into the air and holding out his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. as he made his attack. However, Numbuh 1 was stopped in midair as Vlad held out his hand again stopping his attack.

"Hmm, you'd think you would have learned by now," Vlad said, giving a vile gaze at Numbuh 1.

Vlad then cringed the fingers of the palm and suddenly Numbuh 1's S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. began to glow with a purple aura. The S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. then began to pull away from Numbuh 1 due to an unseen force, which Numbuh 1 struggled against, but it eventually broke free of his grasp. The S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. was now floating in the air now under the control of Vlad, and still glowing with purple energy. Just then it turned around to face Numbuh 1 as Vlad made a motion with his hand. The S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. began to approach Numbuh 1 as it hovered in the air, and soon enough it was in range, and then slowly the trigger began to pull and the wooden plank launched smacking Numbuh 1 in the face and knocking him to the ground.

After making a huge impact on the ground, Numbuh 1 slowly began to get back up. As he got up so did his teammates, and once they got up they all turned to face Vlad who still had Numbuh 1's S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. floating in the air. Vlad gave a very menacing glare at the Kids Next Door as they struggled to get up.

"Now, why don't we dispose of these weapons," Vlad said.

Suddenly, the other Kids Next Door's weapons began to glow with the same purple aura and immediately Numbuh 5's S.C.A.M.P.P. and Numbuh 2 and 3's G.L.O.M.P.'s were pulled away from them and they all began to float in the sky beside Numbuh 1's S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. Vlad now held out both of his hands as he held up all of the Kids Next Door's weapons. He then cringed both of his hands and instantly all of the weapons exploded into a flurry of combustion and small mechanical parts. The Kids Next Door stood in shock, as their weapons became nothing more than a pile of scrap and ashes. Vlad then chuckled and responded.

"Look at it this way Kids Next Door, those weapons were being used against you, so it's really more to your advantage," Vlad said mockingly. "And I'll tell you what, since you're now unarmed, I will not use any of my magic powers," Vlad explained. The Kids Next Door all scowled at his mocking retort. "Go ahead, all four of you can come at me all at once," he offered.

The Kids Next Door, now bitterly enraged, leapt forward to attack. Numbuh 1 was the first to make his attack, and he was going to make a kick from the air, but as soon as he was about to attack Vlad quickly jerked out of the way causing Numbuh 1 to crash into the ground. The other three Kids Next Door then executed each of their attacks, but Vlad managed to avoid all of them making them all hit the ground.

The four operatives all quickly recovered from their fall and looked up to face Vlad. Vlad stood completely still, with a wicked smirk on his face and then made a motion with his hand signaling them to go ahead and attack. The Kids Door became even angrier at Vlad's continuous insulting actions and all at once they made a direct attack on him. They all attacked in a flurry of punches and kicks completely surrounding him. However, Vlad was just as able to dodge or block the attacks that the Kids Next Door dealt to him, not getting hit even once.

The onslaught of ineffective attacks by the Kids Next Door went on until they started to become tired and Vlad finally decided to strike back. As Numbuh 5 made another punch, Vlad quickly dove down and hit her in the stomach with his right hand. Numbuh 3 then made a kick attack, but Vlad grabbed her by the ankle and then flung her around and threw her straight at Numbuh 5, making both of them fly a few feet and crash to the ground. Next was Numbuh 2, when he made a kick in the air, but Vlad quickly dodged it and launched his own kick attack smacking Numbuh 2 on his side and knocking him to the ground.

Numbuh 1 was once again alone against their new foe and in a final desperate attempt he made one final punch. Unfortunately, just like before, it was completely ineffective, as Vlad clasped Numbuh 1's hand in his grip before he could finish his attack. Numbuh 1 looked hopelessly as he struggled to get free while Vlad maintained his wicked grin and a firm hold on Numbuh 1's hand. Vlad then began to squeeze Numbuh 1's fist in his hand, which pained Numbuh 1 greatly and caused him to moan and cringe. After a few moments Vlad finally let up, Numbuh 1's hand being extremely sore at this point, and Numbuh 1 managed to look up, but as soon as he did Vlad delivered a swift uppercut to his face.

Numbuh 1 one flew a few feet until he landed on his stomach on the cold, moist ground, but he slowly struggled to get back up. He looked up and saw that Vlad was slowly approaching him and his teammates. He also saw the Delightful Children who had been watching the whole time and were, to say the least, a little bit amazed by the whole thing and were now walking over to join Vlad. Vlad soon stopped and then held out his hand, with his index and middle fingers facing out.

"Well, time to finish this," Vlad said. And with that his fingers began to brim with purple energy.

Numbuh 1 muttered incomprehensibly as he struggled to say something. "You said you wouldn't use your magic," Numbuh 1 said.

Vlad chuckled and then responded. "I said I wouldn't use my magic to fight you, but now the fighting is over, so now I'm just going to finish you off." Unbeknownst to Vlad, as he was explaining this Numbuh 1 had pulled out a T.O.A.S.T.I.E. and pushed a button on and slowly slipped it back in his pocket. "And in full honesty you all never really stood a chance. I wasn't even trying, there's no possible way you could beat me," Vlad continued to say.

Numbuh 1 struggled even more as he again attempted to speak. "Well, could you at least tell us what you want to do with the paper?" Numbuh 1 requested.

"Hmm, sorry kid, but that's vital information and besides it won't matter to any of you in a few seconds," Vlad said. "Honestly, you kids don't even know what it's for? You have no idea what you've gotten yourselves into, and now you're at the complete mercy of someone far more powerful you," Vlad explained.

"That may be so, but there's one thing you didn't count on Vlad," Numbuh 1 said.

"Hmm?" Vlad grunted as he gave Numbuh 1 a mixed look of confusion and indifference.

Just then a blast of mustard struck the back of the Delightful Children causing them to fall down and drop the map. The Delightful Children, lying on their faces and covered in mustard, slowly attempted to get up and reach for the map. However, it was too late as Numbuh 4 suddenly appeared, leaping over them and grabbed the map and quickly jumped over and rejoined his teammates.

The rest of the Kids Next Door stood up immediately after Numbuh 4 regrouped with them, with the map in hand. A few moments later a large humming sound came from over the trees and slowly got louder. Vlad and the Delightful Children, who were now standing up, looked up and after a few seconds they saw the Kids Next Door S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Numbuh 1 then pulled out his T.O.A.S.T.I.E. again and pushed another button, which then made the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. shoot out laser beams as it began its descent.

Vlad quickly put up a magic force field to guard him from the laser blasts while the Delightful Children ducked for cover elsewhere. As the ship made its way to the ground the Kids Next Door waited around where it would land, while Vlad maintained his shield, unable to do anything for the moment. Finally the ship landed and the Kids Next Door made their way to the entrance.

"Sorry to jet, but our ride's here," Numbuh 1 said. With that they all got on the ship, Numbuh 2 manning the controls and the rest taking their own seats. "Numbuh 2, get us out of here!" Numbuh 1 ordered.

"Got it!" Numbuh 2 responded. The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. then took off, still firing the lasers until it was completely out of sight and they were finally safe from Vlad.

Vlad let down his shield once the Kids Next Door were completely out of sight, while the Delightful Children came out from their hiding place. The Delightful's then walked over to Vlad who was looking up at the sky with a mix of anger and disappointment on his face. The Delightful Children just stood next to him looking fearfully until they finally spoke.

"We are dreadfully sorry master Vlad. We'll head to the ship and go after them immediately," they said in a scared and obsequious tone.

Upon hearing them Vlad changed his look back to a wicked grin and gave a slight chuckle and responded. "Don't worry my children, we don't need to go after them," Vlad said.

"Huh?" The Delightful's muttered confusedly.

Just then Vlad held out his hand with his palm facing upward and after a moment it began to glow with the same purple energy. As it glowed little glitters and sparks began to erupt from his hand eventually making a small fountain of sparkles. The fountain eventually turned into a vortex that swirled about and while it did this it sent the glitter and sparks forming into a large single mass. The mass of sparkling energy began to take on a shape and kept forming and shifting until it went into the shape of a square. Once they formed the sparks all exploded in a brilliant burst of light and replacing them was a map that was looked just like the one before. The Delightful's stared in awe at the map, that looked completely identical except that it had a darker hue.

"You see, we have our own map," Vlad said, displaying it proudly.

"But...but how?" The Delightful's asked.

"It's quite simple children, it's a spell," he explained. "Using it a can read the magical signature of any magical item and then manifest a new one with all the magical properties of the original making an exact replica," Vlad further explained, but then observed that the mark that had been in the top-right corner of the original map was not present on the new one. "Well, almost an exact replica," he said. "Anyway when I held the map I copied its magical eminence through touch and thus I was able to duplicate it."

"Very impressive master," the Delightful's said.

"Oh please, you don't think I'd trust you naïve children with such an important article, do you?" Vlad asked.

"Umm...well...no I suppose not," the Delightful Children responded.

"Hmm, good. Now, lets head back," Vlad instructed as he walked off.

"Yes...master," they replied, and with that they followed Vlad back to their ship.

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Authors Notes: Waddya think? Well, as always, to let me know just review and tell me. For those of you who don't know, the T.O.A.S.T.I.E. is an actual Kids Next Door item from the show. Basically what it is is just a remote control that serves many purposes, and in this case it activated the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. Anyway that's all for now, till next time.


	9. Rainbow Connection

Authors Intro: Well, it's been a while hasn't it? I wonder how many of you reading this now actually even read this story even before it went on hiatus. I must say I truly admire the man (or woman) who would wait all these years to read the next chapter of my story. Well, to whoever may be reading this, here it is.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kids Next Door.

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The Kids Next Door had just arrived back at the tree house after their escape from Vlad. During their travel back home Numbuh 4 gave the paper back to Numbuh 2 leaving it in his capable hands. As they headed back to the tree house it began to rain steadily and continued to rain as the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. landed in the docking bay and they all entered the tree house. They had all decided beforehand to hold a team meeting in the main room to discuss the events regarding their mission and decide the best course of action to take next. Thus they all ushered into the main room.

"Well THAT was a close call," Numbuh 4 said.

"Tell me about it. So this Vlad guy is for real, huh?" Numbuh 5 replied.

"Well he sure felt real," Numbuh 2 replied as he rubbed his side where Vlad had kicked him.

"Yeah, but it's a good thing Numbuh 4 was there to save us!" Numbuh 3 yelled happily.

"Uh…well I uh, hey I mean it was nothin' special anyway, so, uh…" Numbuh 4 said blushing from Numbuh 3's comment.

"All right guys settle down, we need to get this meeting going," Numbuh 1 said. "Now, I think we can safely say that we are all a little bit bewildered by our recent mission, to say the least."

"You're telling me! First we fight a giant snake thing and then we've gotta deal with this crazy Vlad guy!" Numbuh 2 said.

"He may have been crazy, but he kicked our butts," Numbuh 5 added.

"Indeed, and apparently that paper seems to be of some vital importance to him. Oh, have you deciphered what kind of document that is anyway Numbuh 2?" asked Numbuh 1.

Numbuh 2 still held the paper and upon Numbuh 1's request quickly pulled it out of his pocket and presented it to him, rolled up like a fine package. "Oh, well I don't know. It looks like it's some kind of map, or something," Numbuh 2 explained. "Actually, it looks like a world map."

"Hmm, Let me see it Numbuh 2," Numbuh 1 requested, and with that Numbuh 2 handed the map over to him. Numbuh 1 looked over it carefully and yes it did appear to be a map of the world, with Asia and America and Europe and all the other continents. But what was even more eye-

catching were two blinking dots on the map. "Yes, it is a map…" Numbuh 1 said. "…a _flashing_ map?" he said.

"A flashing map!?" Numbuh 3 yelled. "Ooh, lemme see, lemme see!" she yelled as she snatched the map out of Numbuh 1's hands. "Oooooooohhhh," Numbuh 3 gazed at the two flashing dots, one red and one blue. The red dot flashed somewhere over Northern Africa, while the blue dot flashed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

"Give me that!" Numbuh 1 yelled snatching the map back out of Numbuh 3's hands. "Well at any rate this Vlad has presented himself as a threat to kids everywhere, so since this map is what he seems to be looking for I suggest we alert moon base of the predicament and hand it over to them," Numbuh 1 said.

"Are you crazy!?" Numbuh 4 yelled.

"What!?" The others all asked in unison.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!? If we tell moon base then they'll find out that we went on a mission without their say-so and then we'll all get decommissioned for sure!" Numbuh 4 protested.

"Hmm, he's gotta point ya know," Numbuh 2 said.

"Well, be that as it may, we have a dangerous enemy on our hands and we're carrying a document of vast importance. Also, this situation could hold the fate of every kid on earth, we can't just fool with something like that!" Numbuh 1 argued.

"Ya know, come to think of it, something doesn't seem right." Numbuh 5 said. "If this Vlad guy is so powerful than how come we got away so easily? He didn't even try to catch us as we were makin' our escape. It's as if he let us go."

"Ah would you forget it!" Numbuh 4 yelled. "The reason we got away is because we caught him completely by surprise and left his rear end in the dust. That's all there is to it!"

"Well then what do you propose we do?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Oh, you wanna know what I think? I think you should just take that stupid map and shove it straight up your-.

The Kids Next Door then got into a flurry of indistinct arguing with one another. As the others bickered with each other, Numbuh 5 slowly walked over to a window and watched the rain as it came down outside. As she stared at the falling rain she became lost in thought. Although she was thinking about whether they should tell moon base or not, she was also thinking about everything else, about the map, about Vlad, and about the boy.

As she looked out, the rain suddenly began to slow down and then come to a stop. Soon the sun shined out from behind the clouds, brightening the scene. Numbuh 5 seemed to feel happier and 

smiled as she looked at the beautiful view, the sun shining against the dark clouds, and the only rain drops left were the ones dropping from the roof. Most beautiful of all was a huge rainbow that had appeared taking up most of the sky.

Just then, as Numbuh 5 continued to gaze out the window, she began to pick up a faint sound. The sound slowly became louder and as it did it started to sound like music. The music seemed to be instrumental and seemed to be that of a banjo. As the music kept playing, repeating a set of notes over and over, Numbuh 5 walked over to the door that led to the outside top floor. She kept walking listening intently to the music although none of the others could hear it.

"So when you think about it logically you'll see that we have no choice but to tell moon base!" Numbuh 1 said.

"Yeah, but…huh?" Numbuh 4 said, as he, as well as the others, began to hear the music as well.

"What is that?" Numbuh 1 asked.

The other Kids Next Door then went over to join Numbuh 5 by the door leading to the outside top floor. They all gave a quick glance at each other, and then proceeded to go outside to find the source of the noise. Once outside they all began to look every which way for the source of the music, which was still playing, but found nothing.

"Where is that coming from?" Numbuh 1 asked to no one in particular.

"Look, up there!" Numbuh 3 answered, pointing to the top of the roof.

The others immediately averted their gaze to the roof, where Numbuh 3 was pointing. Before them was the same mysterious boy, lying on his back on their roof, with his legs crossed, facing the rainbow and singing.

_Why are there so many songs about rainbows?_

_And what's on the other side?_

_Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,_

_And rainbows have nothing to hide._

_So we've been told and some choose to believe it_

_I know they're wrong, wait and see._

_Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,_

_The lovers, the dreamers, and me._

_Who said that every wish would be heard and answered?_

_When wished on the morning star?_

_Somebody thought of that, and someone believed it,_

_And look what it's done so far._

_What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?_

_And what do we think we might see?_

_Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,_

_The lovers, the dreamers, and me._

_All of us under its spell,_

_We know that it's probably magic…_

As the boy sang Numbuh 5 couldn't help but be enchanted by his beautiful singing, of course all the Kids Next Door were a bit captivated by it, but her especially.

…_Have you been half asleep? And have you heard voices?_

_I've heard them calling my name._

_Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?_

_The voice might be one and the same_

_I've heard it too many times to ignore it_

_It's something I'm s'posed to be…_

_Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection_

_The lovers, the dreamers, and me._

_Laa, da daa dee da daa daa,_

_La laa la la laa dee daa doo…_

The Kids Next Door still looked on as the boy reached into his shirt and pulled out his familiar audio cassette player and pushed a switch, turning it off. After placing it back, the boy turned his attention to the five operatives.

"Hello Kids Next Door, nice to see you again," the boy politely greeted them.

"Uh…likewise," Numbuh 1 said, unsurely.

"So, I assume all went well?" The boy asked, as he sat up from his former lying position.

"What went well?" Numbuh 1 asked back.

"Why getting the map of course…traveling the Miasma Jungle, you know," the boy replied.

"Oh that…um, yes that went well," Numbuh 1 answered.

"We kinda got our butts kicked though," Numbuh 2 added.

"Yeah, I know," the boy said.

"Why does that not surprise me," Numbuh 1 muttered, not so the boy could hear.

"So you took on Vlad, eh . . . and you're sill alive?" the boy said as he began to ponder, looking up at the sky, while the Kids Next Door just stared at him waiting for him to say something. "Hmm…Numbuh 1, are you hurt?" the boy asked.

"Hurt? Oh well I don't know, I got a little scuffed up back there, but I think I'm okay now," Numbuh 1 answered.

The boy then stood up on the roof and then proceeded to jump down right in front of the Kids Next Door. "Alright, then how about a duel?" the boy asked, standing up after his landing.

"A duel!?" Numbuh 1 asked, bewildered.

"Why of course, nothing more than a just a friendly duel," the boy offered. "I mean, as long as you're up to it," the boy said.

Numbuh 1 took a moment to absorb the situation, and then began to ponder it. The others looked at him with anticipation, except for Numbuh 4, immediately burst out.

"What? Are you crazy? Numbuh 1 doesn't hafta fight you!" Numbuh 4 yelled. However, his outburst seemed to have no affect on the boy, so he immediately turned to Numbuh 1. "Right, Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 4 asked pitiably.

Numbuh 1 pondered it for a few more moments, and then finally spoke. "Hmm…very well, I accept," Numbuh 1 said.

"WHAT!?" Numbuh 4 burst out.

"Very good," the boy said. "Choose your weapon."

"What!? C'mon, you can't be serious Numbuh 1!" Numbuh 4 yelled.

"Weapon? Alright then, I'll just use this," Numbuh 1 said, ignoring Numbuh 4, as he unsheathed his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R.

"Numbuh 1, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Numbuh 2 asked.

"Well not exactly, but if he wants a duel, who am I to deny him it? Besides I don't think anything will happen," Numbuh 1 assured him.

"All right Numbuh 1, you ready?" the boy asked. Numbuh 1 nodded. "Okay. The rest of you might wanna back away," the boy advised.

"Heh, I'll back away whenever I want," Numbuh 4 said defiantly.

However, Numbuh 4's bold proclamation did not last long. "Come on ya fool," Numbuh 5 said, as she grabbed his shirtsleeve and brought him to where the rest of the team had already backed up.

"So are you ready to start Numbuh 1?" the boy asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Numbuh 1 replied.

"Very well then. I shall allow you to make the first move," the boy offered.

Numbuh 1 just gave an affirming nod. The two made their stances, Numbuh 1 holding his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R., while the boy held his umbrella. The others looked on with anticipation as they eagerly awaited Numbuh 1 to make the first strike.

The tension kept growing, both opponents unflinching, and both staring each other down. Finally, with a quick flick of his ankle, Numbuh 1 made his move and charged at the boy with his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. Numbuh 1's attack was strong and occurred in what seemed like in instant, however, the boy was quick to react and swiftly dodged Numbuh 1's assault. Fortunately, Numbuh 1 was also quick to retaliate and thinking quickly he shifted his weight so he landed on his feet. After regaining his footing, Numbuh 1 slowly turned his head back towards the boy.

"Hmm, not bad," Numbuh 1 complimented him.

"I suppose, but are we going to fight or not?" the boy asked.

"Oh all right, if that's how you want it…" Numbuh 1 said, as he began to get up. "…Then I won't disappoint you," and with that he made a charge at the boy, who again swiftly dodged his assault.

Numbuh 1 quickly recovered and began another attack, this time though, he activated his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. As the wooden plank came forth, the boy hurriedly swung his umbrella, and blocked Numbuh 1's assault. Numbuh 1 was not one to quit so easily, however, and he hastily attacked with his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. again. The boy, though, was no quitter either and he, just as quickly, blocked the attack again. The two fighters then began to rapidly repeat this process, Numbuh 1 would make attacks, and the boy would block them.

The two continued for a while until the boy finally got an open spot to attack and swiped his umbrella knocking Numbuh 1 on the side. Numbuh 1 flew a few feet and then fell on his back, but soon got back up as the boy made another attack at him, which he just barely dodged.

Numbuh 1 and the boy gave glares at one another as they waited for each other to attack. Numbuh's 2, 3, 4, and 5 remained standing to side, stunned and amazed at the brilliant show of combat that had just taken place, they too waiting to see who would make the next strike. Finally, the boy came at Numbuh 1 with his umbrella, but he managed to block it and they then re-ensued with the fight. The two youths engaged in battle, swiping at each other, both sides exchanging blows.

The others looked on at the fight, not even sure which side they hoped to win, but they went with their leader since they trusted him more. The two fighters kept battling, swatting at each other, with neither side having a clear advantage. The battle persisted for several minutes until finally Numbuh 1 managed get a hit in, and kicked the boy in the stomach. The boy was knocked back several feet, and then stopped, regaining his footing, as he clutched his stomach. He then looked up and saw that Numbuh 1 had wasted no time and was making another charge at him.

Just then the boy hit a switch on the umbrella handle with his thumb, which then turned the umbrella top into a blade, just like he had done at Father's mansion. Numbuh 1 continued to charge at the boy and then dived for him about to attack with his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. However, the boy quickly retaliated, as he twirled his body around towards Numbuh 1, going over him as he held out his bladed umbrella. As the boy twirled and swung his umbrella around, the blade on it went across Numbuh 1's S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R., slicing right through it. The boy soon landed back on his feet, as did Numbuh 1, having missed his target. Numbuh 1 stood still for a moment, and then suddenly, his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. fell apart in to pieces on the ground.

Numbuh 1 only looked at his hand where he had once held his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. and at the pile of junk that used to be it. The boy stood, crouched with his back to Numbuh 1, with his arms crossed and his umbrella in hand. The other Kids Next Door stood in shock at their leader and the mysterious boy.

The boy then made one final swing of his umbrella and then as Numbuh 1 just stood still dumbfounded about his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. The umbrella swooped across the air between them and stopped, mere millimeters from Numbuh 1's neck. The other Kids Next Door all gasped as the blade held by the boy stood right next to their leader's neck. Sweat trickled down Numbuh 1's head as he stared at the boy, who just gave him an indifferent look, wondering what would happen next. The boy then gently let down his umbrella, bringing it to his side and relieving Numbuh 1 of the tremendous pressure.

"Hmm, just as I thought," the boy muttered, mostly to himself.

"Wha…What do you mean?" Numbuh 1 asked, overhearing the boy.

"Mm…Oh, well you guys are good…" the boy began to say. "…but, you're not that good," he finished.

"What? You…you mean this was a test?" Numbuh 2 asked.

"Sort of," the boy replied.

They were all silent for a moment, but then Numbuh 1 spoke. "Well you did fight only me. I mean Numbuh 4 is probably twice as good a fighter as I am. I mean if you want a stronger opponent then…" Numbuh 1 offered weakly, but was then cut off.

"Numbuh 1, even if Numbuh 4 was ten times better than you, it still wouldn't be enough," the boy explained.

"Enough for what?" Numbuh 3 asked.

"Never mind that," the boy assured them. "Besides, as your team's leader it's your job to represent your entire team. All of their strengths are signified by you as are any frailties or weaknesses," the boy explained. "Anyway, perhaps we should go inside," the boy offered.

"Mm, all right," Numbuh 1 conceded.

With that they all made their way to the door into the tree house. Walking from behind him, Numbuh's 2, 3, 4, and 5 all somewhat stared at the boy, who still had them all perplexed. The group of six finally made it into the tree house, where the five Kids Next Door operatives stood across from the mysterious boy.

"Alright, now maybe we should…" Numbuh 1 began to say, but was then cut off.

"Oh, please allow me to take my hat off first," the boy said.

"Uh…sure," Numbuh 1 replied.

The boy then removed his hat, revealing his neat, combed, blond hair, and then swiftly threw it across the room a good distance, until it landed on a conveniently located hook. The Kids Next Door just gazed in amazement at the incredible feat, but quickly brought their attention back to him.

"So, why don't we get started," the boy offered. The Kids Next Door immediately turned their attention to him, a bit shocked at first, but then nodded in affirmation. "Okay, so this is how I see it. You all went on ahead to the Miasma Jungle, as I told you - And thank you very much for that 

by the way. You succeeded in not only finding the temple, but also in defeating the serpent guarding it. However, you hit an unexpected delay when Vlad showed up, and despite your most valiant efforts, you inevitably got your butts kicked," the boy explained quickly, leaving the Kids Next Door dazed and in somewhat of a trance. "But, at any rate, the important thing is you got the map, correct?" the boy said. There was no response however, as the boys long speech had still left the Kids Next Door stunned. "Did you?" the boy asked again, this time a little louder.

"Oh…uh, yeah, I got it right here," Numbuh 2 said, finally registering what the boy had said. He then reached into his pocket and held up the still folded up map.

"Ah, very good," the boy said. "Well, with that, I have a lot of important information to tell you," he explained. "Now you're all aware of Vlad, and I'm sure you're also aware that he's attempted to get the map, right?" the boy asked.

They all nodded.

"Now, you may be asking yourselves 'why would he want something as harmless and insignificant as a map', right . . . well I can assure you that that map is anything but insignificant," the boy explained. "You may also be wondering about that serpent that you fought, and if it was the child-eating monster, well unfortunately it was not."

The Kids Next Door all gave a somewhat angered look upon hearing this news.

"I mean, I'm sure it probably would have eaten you if it got the chance. But no, that serpent was merely a guardian of the map, the real monster is much, much more powerful," the boy explained. "Now the fact that you have that map is very, very important, and it's important that you hold onto it at all costs, because that map holds the fate of every child on Earth."

The five operatives went wide-eyed and gasped at the boys' statement. "Every kid on Earth?" Numbuh 2 asked.

"Yes, now if you've looked at the map I'm sure you've noticed the two blinking dots on it," the boy said.

"Oh yeah, right here," Numbuh 2 said as he unfolded the map and displayed it proudly. "And also when I first opened the map it said uh…I can't quite remember, but I think it said uh…" Numbuh 2 began to say, but was interrupted.

"Now with the map you have found, follow it where the jewels are bound," the boy said, reciting the familiar verse.

"What? Ye…yeah, that's it," Numbuh 2 said in complete shock.

"Yes, and that has a lot of meaning behind it Numbuh 2," the boy explained. "You see, those two dots indicate the locations of the "jewels" that are mentioned in the verse, more specifically they indicate the locations of two temples which hold the jewels, the desert temple and the water 

temple. In the desert temple holds the mystical jewel, the Ruby of Fire, and in the water temple holds the Sapphire of Water."

The Kids Next Door were all silent for a moment, but then Numbuh 2 spoke out. "Wow, cool," he said.

"Yeah…it is," the boy said agreeably. "But anyway, it's really important that you find these jewels, as Vlad is looking for them as well. And with his duplicate map, it won't be long before he starts looking for it," the boy said.

"Hmm, fascinating. But what are these jewels for and why does Vlad want them?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Well, Numbuh 1, those jewels are the key to unlocking the child-eating monster," the boy explained. The Kids Next Door again went wide-eyed upon hearing this. "And Vlad wants them badly. He's going to try and awaken that monster and wipe every kid off the face of the Earth."

"Okay…well then we will give it to moon base. They'll take it, and hide it, and it'll be safe there," Numbuh 1 said. The boy merely chuckled at Numbuh 1's remark. "What…what?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Please, you don't think he's just going to sit back and let you take it, do you?" the boy asked rhetorically. "No, he'll bust right into your moon base and take it," he explained.

"Well than we'll just get rid of it, so nobody can have it," Numbuh 2 declared. He then took two opposite ends of the map with his hands and began to rip it apart. However, as he attempted to tear it up, the map remained unaffected and stayed completely intact.

"Yeah, it's indestructible," the boy explained coolly.

"Indestructible?" Numbuh 5 asked.

"Well aside from assuring its validity that mark also makes the map invulnerable to any force known to man," the boy explained. "Besides, you're gonna need it since Vlad has made a copy of the map," the boy said.

"So it appears to me that your best course of action to take is to…well, just follow the map," the boy explained.

"Tell me, just how do you know all of this?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"I get around," the boy answered quaintly.

"Again with the vagueness," Numbuh 1 said. He grunted angrily then resumed. "Well, then we'll have to stop Vlad," he said.

"Yeah!" "All right!" "Woo hoo!" the Kids Next Door all yelled in approval of Numbuh 1's proclamation.

"Oh, but we can't. We can't do this. We can't keep going on missions on our own without telling moon base. In fact we'll be in enough trouble as it is when they find out we already went on a mission without their authorization. They may even decommission us," Numbuh 1 said.

"Now why would they do that? Especially since you have these official mission specs," the boy said, and then displayed a series of mission specs.

"What? Wha…where did you get those?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Oh I managed to get into moon base and print out some mission specs for you guys," the boy explained.

"You mean you infiltrated moon base?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Ah, Numbuh 1 "infiltrate" is such a strong word…but yeah I did," the boy answered. "Don't worry though, I slipped in completely unnoticed and the mission has been logged into the Kids Next Door database, so you shouldn't have any trouble," he explained.

"But, the only way you could have gotten into the Kids Next Door database is if you had the official security clearance code," Numbuh 1 said.

"Hmm, how about that?" the boy said simply. "Well, I think it's best that we…" he began to say, but was immediately cut off by Numbuh 1.

"WHO ARE YOU!!" Numbuh 1 yelled. The boy went wide-eyed at Numbuh 1's outburst.

"Yeah, what are you trying to pull?" Numbuh 2 added.

"I knew this guy was trouble!" Numbuh 4 butted in. The Kids Next Door then went into a barrage of angry rambling at the mysterious boy until Numbuh 1 finally stepped forth.

"Look, who are you? I think we have a right to know what's going on," he said.

The boy merely sighed, and then spoke. "Numbuh 1, I can only show you the door to your salvation. The question is: do you trust me?" the boy said. "I have my reasons for keeping secrets, but it's your decision," he explained.

The Kids Next Door all looked at Numbuh 1 expectantly, as the boy offered this conundrum. Numbuh 1 let out a sigh then said. "So, what should we do?" he asked the boy.

The boy gave a pleased grin. "Well I'm glad you asked. First off, I think you should report in to moon base and tell them about your mission," he said.

"Huh?" The Kids Next Door all said in question.

"Well come on guys, moon base gave you a mission so it's only proper that you should report in. Right?" the boy said.

The Kids Next Door then smirked and gave a nod of approval.

"Now, when you go to obtain the jewels you won't just be able to barge right into the temples and take them. You see each jewel is guarded by a maze within the temple; mazes that will test your strength, endurance, intellect, and your overall skill. Only after you've passed these mazes, will you then be able to obtain the jewels," the boy explained. "Well I guess that's all I have to say for now, so I suggest you get to it. And remember, Vlad will be hunting these jewels down, just as intently as you guys." The Kids Next Door all gave confirming nods. "So, are there any questions?" the boy asked.

Numbuh 1 thought back to how much the mysterious had known about them and then finally decided to ask… "Tell me have we met each other before?" Numbuh 1 asked.

"Hmm, well there was the time at Father's mansion, and then the time in the jungle, so uh…" the boy said, but was then cut off.

"No, no I mean before all of that!" Numbuh 1 said.

"Before that? Hmm . . . Nope, absolutely not," the boy answered. "Well if that's all, then I'll leave you to it. See you guys later," he said.

He then made his way to the door, while the Kids Next Door simply stood watching. He got to the door, which led to the roof, but immediately stopped, in the door entrance. He then spun around to face the Kids Next Door, and then spoke.

"Oh and, as long as we're going to continue to see each other, I suppose I could tell you my name," the boy explained. The Kids Next Door all looked at him immediately with anticipation. "Just call me Numbuh 1806," he said.

With that, the boy turned back around, proceeded outside, and shut the door behind him. Through the door screen, the Kids Next Door could then see the boy jump into the air, and with that, he was gone from their view in a flash. This took them by surprise a bit, and they moved there eyes around a little to see if they could find any sign of him, but they knew full well he was gone. Now, back to it just being the five of them, the Kids Next Door were left with the dilemma of what to do next.

"What now Numbuh 1?" Numbuh 5 asked.

Numbuh 1 was silent for a moment, and then responded. "We give our report to moon base," he replied.

"You sure?" she asked.

"We've played his game for this long. Why stop now?" Numbuh 1 said.

Numbuh 5 grinned contently at Numbuh 1's decision. Numbuh 1 then made his way to the telecom computer screen to contact the Kids Next Door moon base.

**Later**

After the operatives of Sector V had finished their account of the mission, and after some heavy discussion with the moon base leader, they were anxiously awaiting her response.

"Hmm, this is very interesting, but I don't seem to remember the filing of a mission document like that," Numbuh 362 half-muttered. "Well it's in the Kids Next Door HQ computer, so I can't argue with that. Must have slipped my mind," she said nonchalantly. "Well regardless, this sounds very serious. You all know more about this than I do, so what is your analysis of the situation?" She asked.

"Well, we would like to respectfully request to continue our mission, based on our previous findings, and due to the threat of this Vlad person," Numbuh 1 explained. "Also, for the sake of kids all around the world, I think it would be wise if we continued on this case, as I believe this threat could be very widespread," he further explained.

"Very well. By the authority of Kids Next Door moon base, you are hereby authorized to go on this mission," Numbuh 362 said.

"Well, let's head out team," Numbuh 1 ordered. And with that they all headed to the aircraft hangar, with the map in hand, where they would depart for their next mission.

Unbeknownst to them however, Numbuh 362 was not as fulfilled with the preceding conversation as one might have thought. She called over to Numbuh 86.

"Numbuh 86, could you help me out here? I need to look over this mission report."

**Meanwhile**

Vlad and the Delightful Children had just arrived back at the mansion after returning from their semi-successful mission. They made their way to what used to be Father's main chamber, but was now occupied by Vlad, while the knights had already returned to their living quarters. Inside the room, Vlad walked toward the center of the room, confident with the copied map in hand, while the Delightful's stood a fair distance from the doorway.

"So, would you agree that that went rather well, my obedient children?" Vlad asked.

"Uh, yes master," they all said.

"Hmm, of course you would," Vlad said with a pleased and somewhat menacing tone of voice. He then turned his head back and proceeded to look around the still fairly wrecked room. "You know, I'm getting rather bored with this drab place. I think what it needs is some renovations," Vlad said.

With that, Vlad held up his hands, which then began to glow with the same purple magical energy as before. He then placed his hands on the mansion floor and instantly the floor became enveloped in a dark aura that spread from his hands and soon throughout the entire room. The Delightful Children were, needless to say, more than a little shocked by this and gasped as the dark aura approached them, but then simply passed beneath their feet.

The dark wave of energy kept spreading and spreading. Soon it spread throughout the entire mansion, completely covering the inside and outside. The mansion, now completely covered by the aura, transformed into a medieval, gothic-like structure, clad in black and red colors, making it look far more intimidating than its' original state. Once it was done, Vlad rose up from the ground observing the mansion's new "look."

"That's better," Vlad said. He then swiveled his head around and turned his attention to the Delightful's. "So is our client ready?" Vlad asked.

"Umm…yes," the Delightful Children answered.

"Good. Send him in," Vlad ordered.

The Delightful Children then walked over to a door and then slowly opened it. As the door fully opened a dark figure shrouded in the shadows emerged and stood before Vlad.

"So, you are interested in joining my alliance?"

"Very much so. I'd love to be a part of your plan here," the figure said.

"I hear you've had some experience in this type of field before," Vlad said.

"Heh, I've dealt with kids a few times. Just a bunch of annoying brats," the dark figure responded.

"Well, what I'm asking you to do is no simple task, it requires great strength and skill, and I'm sure those annoying Kids Next Door will show up, and if they do, I expect you to take care of them," Vlad said.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they don't interfere," the dark figure said.

"That's very good," Vlad said. "So, can I trust you to handle this?" Vlad asked.

The dark figure then walked out of the shadows, and revealed himself as other than Chad.

"It'll be my pleasure," he said.

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Authors Notes: I don't know what's gonna happen now. I mean, I know where the story is going, but I don't know if I'll write it or not. Depends if I can really get back in the writing groove or not, but we'll see.


	10. The Waytuhot Desert

Author's Intro: Who is that? Why, I can't believe it. It's a ghost from the past! Yes, you're old friend animeniac9…well, actually, it's Nobodyman9 now, has returned from the dead to (hopefully) finish this delightful little fanfiction that has been put off for far too long. Well, I'm older and wiser now, and hopefully a better writer too. I'm not sure who will read this, be it old diehard fans or newcomers, but all the same I appreciate your attention and taking the time to read this, which I don't nearly deserve.

Disclaimer: Kids Next Door. Don't own 'em.

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The Waytuhot Desert: a barren wasteland, completely uninhabitable, save for only the most resilient and enduring of the great earth's creatures. The vast area, covering over 800 square miles, is actually a little-known sub-section of the Sahara Desert, and has seen no human settlement in over 5000 years. Many a poor soul have made journey to this harsh and arid land, and few have ever returned. Those lucky enough to return have little more to show for it than their horrific and terrifying tales of the desert's brutal environment and several have been quoted to say, "It's just way too hot." Indeed, the great Waytuhot has been known to reach scalding temperatures of over 140⁰F. The only relief from this heat being actual nightfall where, as if out of some sort of bizarre and depraved form of spiteful irony, the temperature can fall as low as 10⁰F. Truly, it could be said that not only is this land unsuitable for human life, but, also, it rejects it.

Needless to say, the Kids Next Door were none-to-pleased realizing that this was their destination, as indicated by their magical map. This change in climate had forced them to forego their usual attire in favor of less constraining and insulated clothing; mostly t-shirts and khaki shorts. Fortunately, they weren't completely helpless in their endeavor as they had access to one of the finest vehicles their 2x4 technology had to offer them. The gargantuan amalgamation composed of lumber, giant metal tubes, hula hoops, patio tables, anchors, bulldozer blades and other whatnot, with a roofed porch above a metal chamber at the center, was dubbed, appropriately, the S.A.N.D.-S.C.O.R.P.I.O.N.

**Kids Next Door: S.A.N.D.-S.C.O.R.P.I.O.N.**

**Scavenging**

**Arthropodean**

**Navigational**

**Digger**

**Slowly**

**Crawls**

**Over**

**Regions**

**Productively**

**If**

**Operating**

**Nicely**

Numbuh 1's team was quite fortunate to procure the device from the Kids Next Door Northern Africa Division, Sector H. After a quick exchange of official mission documents, as well as a "How many teenagers does it take to screw in a light bulb" joke, the native agents were more than willing to lend it to them.

Complete with a ventilated air-conditioning system as well as a roof that provided a good amount of shade and a well-stocked supply of ice and water, the S.A.N.D.-S.C.O.R.P.I.O.N. proved to be more than adequate for the Sector V's dangerous trek through the arid wasteland. The main negative of the vehicle being that it moved at a relatively slow pace, topping at a mere 30 mph, it was still practical for their purpose.

Despite their preparation, and the conveniences afforded them, the extreme heat was beginning to get to the good agents of Sector V. All five were present on deck and trying to fight the boredom of the open desert, along with the near-impossible task of trying to stay cool. Numbuh 1 stood steadfast at the center of the platform holding the map, while the others stood or sat around the perimeter. Numbuh 4 leaned against the edge of the guard rail and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Shee-yeesh! It's hot out here!" Numbuh 4 yelled.

"That's why they call it the Waytuhot Desert, Einstein," said Numbuh 5. "It's Way. Too. Hot!"

"All right, all right. I'm just sayin'!" said Numbuh 4.

"Cut the chatter you two," Numbuh 1 said. "Numbuh 4, if you're hot you can get a drink from the bunker downstairs, but don't stay down there too long."

"Yeah, yeah," said Numbuh 4. "I don't see why we can't all just stay down there. It's a lot cooler."

"Up here or down there, it's still going to be hot, and I don't everyone's perspiration stinking up the place. Especially since we're going to have to sleep there tonight," Numbuh 1 answered.

Numbuh 3 chimed in, "Besides, it wouldn't be fair for Numbuh 2 to have to stay up here all by himself." The pilot's seat was on the upper deck.

"Yeah, I guess so," Numbuh 4 said, conceding the point. He proceeded downstairs to retrieve his drink.

"Hey Numbuh 1, are we getting close yet?" Numbuh 2 asked.

"As I've said before Numbuh 2, it's hard to say." Numbuh 1 answered. "But if my calculations are correct, judging from our proportional distance ratio and current velocity, we're still a good distance away and probably won't reach there until tomorrow."

"And what exactly is'there' Numbuh 1?" asked Numbuh 5.

"According to 1806 some sort of temple. But really, I wish I knew," Numbuh 1 answered.

Indeed their journey became even more curious. The team had decided to pursue the red dot, the location which held the Ruby of Fire, as their first target. However, as they drew closer to their mystical map made a remarkable change. The map seemed to actually change perspective by zooming in on the North Africa region. Being more focused on the area, it gave the Kids Next Door a more detailed view of the area and better accuracy of the precise location. In addition, the light began to blink more and more rapidly the closer they got, almost like a metal detector.

"So, you're sure we're going the right way?" Numbuh 2 asked.

"The light just keeps blinking faster and faster. Just stay on the straight and narrow," said Numbuh 1.

Numbuh 4 arrived back on the deck, drink in hand, and resumed his place at the guardrail. Not much was said for the remainder of the day, perhaps because they were all too exhausted to talk. Their clothes soaked in sweat, the heat weighing down on them like a boulder, and being drained of their get-up-and-go energy, they were only left to think of their peculiar mission and whether or not they were doing the right thing, or, more importantly, the sane thing.

He had given them a name, this Numbuh 1806, but was he really a Kids Next Door operative? If so, how come they'd never heard of him? Why didn't Father's animal orb affect him? Why did he know so much about them and these maps, and jewels, and temples, and monsters? If he knows so much about it why doesn't he just do it himself? Why was he so secretive? Why was he so eccentric? How was it that he always seemed to appear out of nowhere and at exactly the right time?

Furthermore they questioned the bizarre circumstances surrounding their mission. They wondered who made these temples and jewels and child-eating monsters and how were they kept so secret. And why was it only now that they had become relevant? They wondered why, if they were the keys to releasing the child-eating monster, they were collecting the jewels in the first place.

And, of course, there was Vlad. The menacing figure that permeated there minds with the shear mystery surrounding him. A monster that wanted to destroy kids, who was almost the end of them, who could be lurking anywhere at anytime. Perhaps worst of all they knew he was trying to get to the same place as them, and the thought of confronting him was almost too much to bear. They prayed they reached the temple before him, but even still they couldn't shake the feeling that, no matter what, they would have to face him again. They couldn't stop it. They couldn't stop what was coming.

In the end, none of them could come up with a decisive ultimatum and consented to their fate of traversing the scorching desert.

A few hours later the temperature began to drop and dusk drew ever closer. An immense feeling of relief came over the group, though they knew they would soon have to retreat to the bunker and rest for the night.

"All right team, everyone down to the lower level. We're turning in and I want everyone fully rested and mobile first thing tomorrow morning," said Numbuh 1. "Numbuh 2, park the S.A.N.D.-S.C.O.R.P.I.O.N. and initiate hibernation mode ASAP."

"Aye aye cap'n," he answered.

The team, minus Numbuh 2, moved downstairs, after which they each took time to wash themselves and prepare for a good nights sleep. They were sure to dress warmly knowing the night's bitter cold would be felt even within their insulated safe-haven. Numbuh 2 followed shortly after, having stopped the S.A.N.D.-S.C.O.R.P.I.O.N. and initiating hibernation mode, which would activate in 60 seconds.

Upon activation, the once intimidating desert crawler withdrew its massive legs, claws, and tail and retracted into something of a fortified and bulky shelter. It was a very handy feature of the S.A.N.D.-S.C.O.R.P.I.O.N. which allowed for protection and partial insulation.

Having readied themselves for their slumber, the team went to bed without a word, too worn out from their tiresome day. Numbuh 1 casually placed the map on an end table next to his cot. He lied down and closed his weary eyes, but his rest was short-lived as the map's rapidly blinking dot caught the attention of his eye. Numbuh 1 groaned and got up. The light, being a nuisance to his sleep, was somewhat subdued as he flipped the map face down, resulting in a light that was still there, but muffled. He slipped back under the covers and faced away from the map.

The team slept peacefully for time being, but it was about an hour after their initial descent into the bunker that Numbuh 5 was stirred awake. It was some kind of noise that had awoken her. No, not a noise, but some kind of melody, or a song. It was far and not completely apparent, but it could be heard.

She waited to see if anyone else would wake up, but after a few minutes she decided to pursue the disturbance alone. She went to the closet which was stocked with heavy winter coats, should the need ever arise that they go out into the frigid night. After suiting up she left her team and shelter and tried to find the paradoxical disturbing harmony.

Luckily it was not a particularly cold night, at only 45⁰F. The environment proved manageable for Numbuh 5, though the wind chill and meddlesome sand that came with it were fairly irritating. She made her way through the sand, seemingly endless in every direction, but the further she walked the more distinct and louder the music became. At last she could see a figure cloaked in the night sky dancing in perfect harmony with the melody. Numbuh 5 knew almost immediately the identity of the shadowed dancer. She yelled.

"Numbuh 1806?!"

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Author's Notes: Well, I certainly hope you all enjoyed it. Feel free to review and let me know what you think. Do you think my writing skill has improved, declined, stayed-the-same? Well, I'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP. Till next time, good night and good luck.


	11. Dancing Queen

Author's Intro: Well, looks like I'm making good on continuing the story. I hope you all are enjoying it and I hope you all enjoy the chapter ahead. I don't want to spoil too much, but we should get some stuff accomplished in the way of romance this chapter (ooh-la-la). Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door

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The night wore on as Numbuhs 1 through 4 slept well into it, unaware of the events going on with their fifth teammate. The greeting between Numbuh 5 and 1806 was brief and succinct. Numbuh 1806 thought nothing was odd about the situation, while Numbuh 5 thought _everything_ was odd about the situation. However, Numbuh 5 had already become quite accustomed to 1806's aloofness from convention and common sense, and knew that any kind of outburst and/or demand for explanation would get her nowhere. Instead, she resolved to calmly ask one question at a time.

"Aren't you cold out here?" she asked. He was still wearing nothing more than the zoot suit he always wore.

"I suppose," he answered. "I guess the trick is just to not mind it. Besides, I don't think a little cold ever killed anyone."

She replied, "Well actually uh…oh never mind."

"So, what are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Well, I could ask the same of you," she answered. "I'm tryin' to sleep, then I wake up to this music and then I come out and find you here."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry to have disturbed your rest," he said. "Actually, I was just thinking you shouldn't be out here if you don't have to. You could catch your death of cold out here."

"But didn't you just say…ah forget it," she said.

He continued, "Anyway, the reason I'm out here: no special reason really. Just wanted to check up on you guys. Make sure everything's going well and you're staying out of trouble. I guess you could think of me as something of a guardian angel."

"What?" she said with a somewhat disbelieving and scoffing tone in regard to the "guardian angel" line.

"What? Too dramatic?" he said.

To this she simply chuckled, after which there was a brief pause between the two. She broke the silence. "So, I don't suppose you're going to tell me about all these secrets of yours?"

"Secrets? What secrets?" he asked, quite sincerely.

"Oh, you know. Like how you know so much about us and Vlad and this whole mess with the map, the jewels, and the monster," she said.

He replied, "Hmm, I don't think it would be very practical to divulge that kind of information right now. In fact, it might be downright harmful. Besides, when I do tell you, it's something I should tell you and your whole team."

"I thought as much," she said.

"But, there is one secret I can tell you," he said.

"Oh really?" she said. "What is it?"

I leaned closer and whispered to her. "I'm wearing red underwear."

Numbuh 5 immediately burst into laughter. "Ha Ha Ha Ha! Seriously?!" she yelled.

Numbuh 1806 simply smiled and nodded as she continued her giggle fit. She eventually calmed down and when she did she had a sudden realization.

"Wait a minute. You said 'when I _do _tell you.' Does this mean you're gonna tell us all of this eventually?" she asked.

"In due time," he said. "That is, assuming you make it far enough. Assuming you survive."

"Oh, that's reassuring," she said. "You think we may not make it?"

"Well, I should hope you do. If you don't, it'll be very bad. But I have faith in you," he replied.

"Is it really too much to ask that you could…I don't know…maybe help us out a bit? Maybe fight along side us? Heck if you could even just steer us in the right direction or tell us what to expect?" she asked.

"Well, that wouldn't be very sensible," he answered. "After all, this is really your battle, not mine."

"Yeah, it's not your battle. You just plan it and leave us in the dark about vital information," she said.

"Yeah, pretty much," he replied.

"And what do you mean by 'our battle'?" she asked.

"Forget it. I probably said too much," he answered. "Anyway, that being the case, I can't tell you too much. Some things you have to figure out on your own. Besides, I have things to do. Places to be."

"And those would be…" she propositioned.

"Again, for another day," he said.

After that, there was a long silence between the two. Numbuh 5 contemplated while 1806 stayed his friendly smile. She took in everything that had been said and, ultimately, could think of nothing else to say. She looked over at the fortified shelter and once again began to really feel the bitter cold of the night.

"Well, I should be heading back," she said.

Numbuh 1806 said nothing, but merely glanced at her. She began to walk back, and it was at this time that 1806 made some contemplations of his own. Finally, he reached a decision.

"Numbuh 5!" he yelled to her. She stopped and quickly turned around to face him. He then asked a very odd question, "Well, it's been a while, and I could use a good workout, so, waddya say? Ya wanna be my dance partner?"

"What? You mean right now?" she said incredulously. "It's freezing out here!"

"Well, like I always say: nothing warms the body and soul like a good dance duet," he said.

Numbuh 5, caught off guard, could think of nothing to say to this. Numbuh 1806 held out his hand, waiting for her to accept his offer. Numbuh 5 quickly turned back toward the camp and then back to 1806. Somewhat reluctantly, she conceded.

"Well, all right," she said.

She slowly took his hand and 1806 quickly pulled her forward. Numbuh 5 was quite taken aback as she suddenly found herself in 1806's grasp and they looked into each other's eyes. Then, just as suddenly as when he grasped her, 1806 released his grip.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he said.

He reached into his suit and pulled out his audio cassette player. With a flick of a button, music began to play.

_You can dance, you can jive_

_Having the time of your life_

Numbuh 1806 offered his hand to Numbuh 5 and again she slowly accepted it. The two began to dance.

_  
See that girl, watch that scene _

_Dig in the dancing queen_

They started with a waltz-like kind of dance, like one would do in a ballroom, so Numbuh 5 could start at a relatively slow pace and find her rhythm. Numbuh 1806 led, of course.__

Friday night and the lights are low

_  
Looking out for a place to go_

_  
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing_

_  
You come in to look for a king_

_  
Anybody could be that guy_

_  
Night is young and the music's high_

_  
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine_

_  
You're in the mood for a dance_

_  
And when you get the chance_

Finally finding a good rhythm, the two began to accelerate and perform elaborate dance steps with no definable style. They seemed to borrow elements from the Tango, the Jitterbug, the Mambo and even the Square Dance. Despite the fact she was in a heavy winter coat, Numbuh 5 lost no grace or fluidity in her movements.__

You are the dancing queen 

_Young and sweet, only seventeen_

_  
Dancing queen, feel the beat _

_From the tambourine, oh yeah_

_  
You can dance, you can jive_

_Having the time of your life_

_  
See that girl, watch that scene _

_Dig in the dancing queen_

You're a teaser, you turn 'em on

_  
Leave them burning and then you're gone_

_  
Looking out for another, anyone will do_

_  
You're in the mood for a dance_

_  
And when you get the chance_

Their dancing became even more vibrant. The two even began to separate and dance to their own styles. Numbuh 1806 began a series of disco dances while Numbuh 5 did some freestyling. Their dance number was truly reaching its climax. Numbuh 1806 had been right; their duet had truly warmed Numbuh 5's body and soul as she felt no disturbance from the cold temperature. She had never felt so alive.__

You are the dancing queen, 

_Young and sweet, only seventeen_

_  
Dancing queen, feel the beat _

_From the tambourine, oh yeah_

_  
You can dance, you can jive_

_Having the time of your life_

_  
See that girl, watch that scene _

_Dig in the dancing queen_

With the song reaching its conclusion so did the duo's dance. They went out with one final flare as they wrapped each other's right arms in a do-si-do and ended clasping each other's hands of the same arm while striking a flashy pose.

_Dig in the dancing queen_

It had been quite an event for them, as well as quite an exercise, so they both took a moment to cool down. They both gazed into the night sky, tired from their little dance number, but also having a great sense of satisfaction. Numbuh 5 soon broke the silence.

"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" she said.

"I don't know. Was it?" Numbuh 1806 replied.

"Stop messin' with me man. I know you liked it," she said.

He chuckled. "Yes, I suppose I did." There was another brief silence. "Numbuh 5," he said. She looked over at him. "There is one more secret I can tell you." She looked at him intently, very curious. "I'll tell you my real name."

Numbuh 5 could say nothing to this. She suddenly felt a great sense of trustworthiness and personal bond, having been awarded this information.

He leaned over and whispered his name to her.

It had all happened so fast. This enigmatic figure, who always seemed so aloof, had given her his identity. Perhaps the most valuable information that could be known about him, and he had entrusted it to her.

"Really? That's your name?" she asked.

He nodded.

She smiled. "It's a nice name," she said.

Suddenly he was taken aback. "I'm sorry," he said, quickly turning his head away.

She looked at him, concerned.

"Please promise you won't tell anyone," he said, slowly turning towards her, a look of regret in his eyes.

"It's okay. I won't," she replied.

He seemed a little more relieved. "Thank you," he said. He got up and gazed into the night sky. "Well, I best be going now. Sorry if I disturbed you."

Suddenly a violent gust of wind came up, blowing a cloud of sand with and creating a barrier between the two.

"Wait! B-" she said, but had to stop as the wind blew harder than she could endure.

As the wind settled and the sand disappeared, so did Numbuh 1806, having vanished with no trace. Numbuh 5 quickly looked around, but saw no sign of him. She was somewhat disappointed at his sudden departure, but she also understood his mysterious behavior and was quite certain that he had his reasons for leaving. She decided to go back to the shelter.

Back inside, she quietly hung up her coat and made her way back to her cot. It seemed that none of the others had awoken during her late-night festivities. All for the better. She slipped under the covers and tried to get some rest. The events of the night were still bouncing around inside her head. She thought about their conversation, their dance number, and the secret that, quite possibly, only she now knew. She found it very hard to go back to sleep.

Eventually she succeeded and, before she knew it, it was morning. Numbuh 1 promptly woke the team up at 6:00 A.M., the sun already rising. Everyone, reluctantly, got up from their beds and began preparations for the arduous day ahead of them.

"All right team, suit up! Let's go!" Numbuh 1 yelled. Some irritated muttering could be heard from Numbuh 4.

Even now, Numbuh 5 was still thinking about the night before. It certainly had been an interesting night for her, magical even, and she couldn't get Numbuh 1806 out her head. Without even realizing it, she was staring blankly into space. Noticing, Numbuh 3 came over to check on her.

"Numbuh 5! You all right?" She asked.

Numbuh 5 quickly snapped back to her senses. "Wha-? Oh, yeah I'm fine," she said.

With that, they both went back to their business. Indeed, Numbuh 5 realized that right now she had to focus on the mission. It was going to be a long and hard day for them, but she felt good about it. Her memories of the events last night had actually given her newfound sense of hope and resolve. She was ready to face the day, fully prepared with all of her boundless energy and determination.

She would need every bit of it.

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Author's Notes: Okay, at this point I'm realizing my chapters are not as long as they have been. Not that I'm leaving anything out, mind you. I'm telling everything that I believe needs to be said. Perhaps I'm just not as wordy as I used to be, or maybe, just by coincidence these chapters are just shorter in terms of plot advancement. Well, what do you all think? Is it fine this way, or do you want me to add more to the chapters? Or do you think it's an improvement? Well, whatever you think, please be sure to let me know, and I'll continue my work. Till next time!


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